Ain't It Fun?
by itsnotaboutlove
Summary: Raising a toddler and expanding the family isn't always sunshine and rainbows. Chris and Melanie are in for the ride of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

The lecture hall was filled with chatter, as students strolled in before the ten-fifteen start time; the chatter of winter vacations upstate and study abroad programs to Italy or Tanzania for six to eight weeks, studying art or anthropological research, to partying in on the beaches of Rio or Laguna.

"Yooo where is this professor man!" one kid whined, twisting around in his seat. "Bro, I don't even need this class! Financial aid was up my ass all winter long about being fulltime this semester!"

His companion snickered, "Yo, no one gives a fuck about shipwrecks!" he laughed, as a blonde stepped forward.

"So if you don't "give a fuck" about shipwrecks, then why did you sign up?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "Surely you'll benefit spending more time outside, smoking and littering our sidewalks."

Before either boy could respond, the woman stepped back and clapped her hands twice. "Everyone settle down!" she yelled over the mass volume of chatter. "Class is starting now, especially if you want to get out early!"

The students quickly settled down and she smiled, "Good Morning! I'm Professor Melanie Pike and this is History 379 _Observation of Shipwrecks: From Titanic to Andrea Doria. _This class also coincides with Marine Biology 379 and Sociology 345, so please double check your schedules to make sure you're in the right place!"

Nodding to the TA near the podium, Melanie turned to look back at the students. "The course is very easy and I only expect a few things," she shrugged. "I expect you to show up on time, or at least try to, considering rush hour in the morning is horrendous," she earned a few giggles. "I do allow the use of computers, but please refrain from Facebooking, Twittering and Tumbling!"

Lucy, the TA, began handing out course outlines, moving up the middle aisle as quickly as possible. "There are NO exams," Melanie continued, smiling at the collective sigh of relief. "There are readings from the books and a few PDF's that I will post online, so please read them! We will watch a select amount of films and documentaries throughout the semester and yes, we will watch James Cameron's Titanic."

A few girls giggled around the room, "Yes!" one yelled in triumph.

"There will be one paper, five to seven pages, which I haven't decided yet what the topic will actually be," she continued. "If you need your department requirement for writing, then you can write the full ten to twelve pages. Those I will read personally, and Lucy and I will divide the rest between us."

The students flipped through the course outline silently, as Melanie gave them a few minutes to go through it. It took nearly all winter long to write out a full semesters worth of work, driving both her husband and family crazy, as she stayed up all hours of the night writing.

"Umm, it says here you only have office hours one day a week," a boy in the middle of the lecture hall said. "How can you only have one day a week, when the TA has two?"

Melanie fought to keep the eye roll to herself, "You're name?" she asked. "I'd like to see your lovely face as I answer your question."

The boy raised his hand, "Shouldn't professors be more available during the semester?" he asked.

"Ahh, I'm sure many have open schedules to address every need you have," Melanie started, before the kid interrupted again.

"And a five to seven page paper?" he snorted. "This class was only opened to seniors and transfers. The course description said the paper would be seven to twelve pages long."

Around him, a few students glared and hissed at him, as the boy ignored them. Melanie started up the aisle and stood to look at the boy.

"How many of you have fulltime jobs?" she suddenly asked, looking around as a few students raised their hands. "How about families? Kids? Spouses that work as well?"

Several more hands went up, "I only have one day's worth of office hours, because I have a small child at home and a husband that works over night," Melanie said, turning to look back at the kid. "While I'd love to spend every waking hour, teaching all you lovely people about the _Titanic _and how marine ecosystems are destroying the remains, I also have a life outside of here."

A few boys whistled and snickered, "But if you really want a longer paper to write, I have no problem reassigning it," she grinned, earning a few groans and "No! Please don't!" from the students.

The boy rolled his eyes and Melanie knew that she won, "What's your name?" she asked.

"George McKnightly," the kid scowled.

"Well, George McKnightly," she started back down to the front of the room. "If you don't like this very easy schedule and light course load, then I suggest you drop the class or sit back and keep your mouth shut."

A few students laughed out loud, quickly smothering their laughter with coughs, while others looked at each other in shock. "To complain about a very easy class, which I expect a boatload of A's to give out, is very silly," she said, picking up the remainder of the course outlines. "If you have any questions, you are more than welcomed to email me and I will kindly set something up so that you feel like you're getting your money's worth."

She then gave them all once last look, before smiling brightly at them. "I will see you all on Thursday! Please get your books and start on your reading!"

….

The front door slammed shut behind her, as Melanie dropped everything to the floor. A squeal from the back of the apartment, followed by laughter, filled her ears.

"Mommy's home!"

Kicking off her shoes, Melanie made her way down the hall to the master bedroom, smiling as she found Chris and Charlotte on the bed. The toddler looked at her and shrieked, holding her hands out.

"Baby girl!" she exclaimed, making her way over to the bed. "Oh I missed you so much today!"

Chris snorted as she fell onto the bed, bringing Charlotte down with her for a hug and kiss. "What about me?" he asked, pouting. "Didn't you miss me?"

Melanie smiled, "Of course I missed you," she smiled, accepting the quick kiss from him. "I missed you _both."_

Charlotte patted her cheek, sucking furiously on her pacifier, as Melanie smoothed her hair back.

"How was your day, Professor?" Chris snickered. "Did you dazzle your students with your smarts?"

She groaned, "I had one smartass question the light course load," she huffed, as Charlotte crawled around between them. "Gave him a tame verbal lashing and then went to my office and ate four doughnuts."

"My poor baby," Chris whined, leaning down to smother her with kisses. "I hope you fail the kid."

"I hope he drops the class," she snorted. "Little shit, busting my chops for only having one day of office hours."

Charlotte sat up and pulled at her toes, looking up at her parents with wide eyes. "How was your day?" Melanie asked, rolling onto her side.

The toddler picked up her teething ring, looking down at it in awe, as Chris fixed her shirt. "We had an eventful morning," he sighed. "Charlie here ate most of her breakfast, making such a mess. And then we watched the news and a little bit of Disney, before taking a bath."

Charlotte pointed at him, grunting and spiting out her pacifier. "Then we read a picture book about puppies and ate some strawberry puffs," he chuckled.

"Sounds like you two had fun," she smiled. "Are you going to be alright going to work later?"

He nodded "I'll just drink a lot of coffee before hand," he shrugged, pulling Charlotte close to him. "Right Charlie? You're going to be good for Mommy tonight?"

The girl squealed as Chris held her up, kicking her feet out at him. Melanie laughed and pulled herself up, pulling the hair tie out.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and I'll start figuring out what to make for dinner," she yawned, getting up to move towards the dresser.

"I'll make you something to eat now," Chris offered, setting Charlotte down on the bed. "Wanna help me make Mommy some food?"

Charlotte babbled as he talked to her, "Oh! Oh!" she chanted, pointing at him.

Grabbing a pair of shorts and tank top out of the drawer, Melanie snickered as they interacted. "I'll be out in five minutes," she promised, making her way towards the bathroom.

…..

"I heard your first day was pretty shitty," Leonard smirked, as Melanie fed Charlotte her dinner. "Chris was texting Jim, which he really sucks at by the way, and said you wolfed down four doughnuts."

Melanie scowled at the computer, "Shut up, Len," she rolled her eyes, cutting a small piece of chicken for Charlotte. "First day always sucks."

"Ah, it'll get better," he nodded. "Once those kids realize how easy they have it, they'll be singing your praises on that website which gives them a chance to rate how good you are."

She snorted, "Rate my professor?" she asked. "God, I hate that site."

Charlotte smacked the tray of her highchair, rubbing her hands across her face. "Charlie, no!" Melanie sighed, picking up a napkin. "You have spaghetti sauce all over your face now!"

"What the hell are you feedin' her?" Leonard frowned, trying to get a good view of his goddaughter. "Ain't she a little young for spaghetti?"

"She's eating Chicken parmesan without the noodles," she huffed. "We've been feeding her those meals from Gerber, but they are disgusting."

"Uh! Uh!" Charlotte grunted, wiggling in her high chair, pointing at the plastic fork in Melanie's hand. "Muhh!"

Melanie sighed, "She's always fussy when I feed her," she shook her head. "But if Chris does it, she's the perfect angel. Smiling and laughing and being a sweet little baby."

Leonard chuckled, "That's because you force it at her," he shook his head. "You gotta be patient, Mel. If she doesn't want to eat it, don't' make her."

"Ugh, did you request a video chat just to tell me how to parent my kid?" she asked, scowling at him. "Where's Jim? He's nicer to me when he calls."

"Jim took Jo to the bookstore," he sighed. "Why she needs more books, I have no clue. We just bought her a few books two weeks ago and she's already done with them."

Melanie snickered, "You shouldn't complain, Len," she took the tiny dish away from Charlotte before she could cause more damage. "When she gets into Yale or Oxford, you'll look back and thank your lucky stars that she took her education seriously."

He sighed, "I know," he nodded. "I think tomorrow we're going to go through all the books she has now and box the old ones up. That way when Charlie gets older, she can have them."

"She liked Percy Jackson," Melanie smiled. "And Chris downloaded Harry Potter on the IPad and started reading the first book to her the other night."

"Isn't she a little young for Harry Potter?" Leonard frowned.

Melanie giggled, "She's too young for Jane Austen, but Potter is perfectly fine," she nodded. "Plus he does all the voices and it makes her happy."

Leonard chuckled, "Please videotape this!" he begged. "We need some blackmail on the old man!"

"Are you guys coming out during Jo's winter break?" she asked, wiping the highchair tray down. "I know you said something about wanting to celebrate Jim's birthday out here, since he's' turning the big three-oh!"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I booked our flight tickets last night and called up his boss at the bar and told him the days. Joanna's been looking at things for me to buy him as birthday gifts."

Melanie smiled, "How about… an engagement ring?" she asked innocently. "Chris and I have a bet on when you're going to pop the question! If Chris loses, then he has to clean the bathroom for three months!"

"Dammit Mel!" he scolded. "You two act like children!"

"But Lenny!" she whined, as Charlotte screeched. "It's either that or I have to do whatever Chris wants in bed, and I'm actually scared about that idea."

Leonard rolled his eyes, "I'm ending this call now," he shook his head. "I'll have Jo call back after dinner or tomorrow after school."

Melanie sighed, "Fine!" she looked at Charlotte. "Say bye bye to Uncle Len!"

"Bye my little sweetpea," Leonard waved at the screen. "Be bad for Mommy!"

Charlotte pointed at the screen, " 'Ones!" she grunted. " "Ones!"

"Bones!" Melanie smiled, as Charlotte laughed, while her brother grumbled. "I'll talk to you later, Len."

Disconnecting from Facetime, Melanie quickly closed the laptop and stood up from her chair. "Let's go clean that pretty face and Mommy will read you a story," she said, unbuckling the toddler from her high chair. "Hopefully you'll be asleep before Daddy comes home, that way he can get a full nights rest."


	2. Chapter 2

"Charlie, you need to keep it down," Melanie whispered, as the toddler wobbled on her feet. "Daddy is sleeping."

Charlotte bounced lightly on her feet, slapping her hands together and she giggled. Just sixteen months old, Charlotte was always in the need for speed, as she raced around the apartment. Ever since taking her first steps before her first birthday, Chris and Melanie were constantly chasing after her as her motor skills developed at a rapid pace. There were many days spent cleaning up broken glass and food off the floor, as the little girl shrieked and moved about.

Halfway down the hall, Charlotte stopped and lightly patted the door to the master bedroom.

"Hey!" Melanie quickly darted forward, scooping her up into her arms. "No you don't! You wake Daddy up and he'll be upset, Charlie."

"Uhhhh!" she groaned, pointing to the door, as they moved back into the kitchen., kicking lightly against her.

Melanie shifted her from one hip to the other, "Later baby girl, later!" she promised, setting her down in the high chair. "Let's make Daddy some breakfast and we'll call Grandma!"

Immediately, Charlotte began to screech, bursting in tears. Melanie groaned, setting the coffee pot down on the counter, moving quickly to get the pacifier.

"Charlie!" she shook her head, as Charlotte cried. "Come on, baby girl! Don't cry!"

Once the pacifier was in place, Melanie stepped back and watched as Charlotte yanked it from her mouth, tossing it onto the floor.

"Charlotte Anne," Melanie gasped, bending down to retrieve the sucker. "You were being so good before!"

"What's wrong?"

Melanie looked up and found Chris standing in the entryway of the kitchen, bedclothes rumpled and looking completely exhausted. Upon hearing his voice, Charlotte began to cry harder, wiggling around in the high chair with her hands up and out.

"I'm so sorry," Melanie shook her head, as Chris came over. "I know you wanted to sleep in this morning, and I really tried to keep her from waking you up."

"It's okay," Chris yawned, moving to stand in front of the high chair. "What are you doing little one?"

Charlotte grunted, "Uh!" she grunted, whining as Chris stood there. "Pa!"

Chris carefully pulled her up and out of the chair, settling her onto his hip. "Are you giving Mommy a hard time?" he asked, as Charlotte patted his chin. "Wanna go lay down and keep me company?"

Melanie sighed, "If you need the extra sleep, I'll get her in the stroller and take her for a walk," she offered, as Chris brushed the unruly curls away from Charlotte's eyes.

"It's too cold to go out," Chris said. "We can all get into bed and snuggle for a little while, since neither of us have work today."

"Aren't you hungry?" Melanie frowned.

He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the mouth, "I can always eat later, Mel," he said. "Right now, I just to cuddle under the blankets with my girls and sleep."

"I'll go get her stuffed bunny and I'll join you two," Melanie nodded, as the cats dashed into the kitchen. "Let me feed these two first."

Chris nodded and started down the hall with Charlotte, chatting to her as they went. Scooping a cupful of dry food, Melanie quickly dumped it into the food bowl and followed after them. A quick stop into Charlotte's room, Melanie had her pink stuffed bunny and was making her way across the hall.

"Here we go, Charlie," Chris smiled, setting the toddler down in the middle of the bed. "Mommy has your bunny and we're going to snuggle with you, that way Daddy can get some more sleep."

Charlotte kicked her feet up at him, "Pa!" she squealed, drooling on her fingers.

"Here's the bunny!" Melanie smiled, making the toy hop across the mattress. "Kissy! Kissy!"

They both laughed as Charlotte let out a peal of giggles, clutching onto the toy as Melanie brushed it against her cheek. Pulling the covers up, Chris and Melanie slid under them, pulling their pillows down for further comfort, before lying down.

"Ready for a nap?" Melanie asked, as she pulled the quilt up from the foot of the bed. "Let's get you all snuggly and warm."

Once Charlotte was covered with the quilt, both of her parents scooted closer to her sides, wrapping an arm around her. "I'll be out in less than five seconds," Chris mumbled, his eyes closed. "I'm so tired."

Melanie rubbed her fingers against his arm, "Go to sleep, Chris," she said softly, as Charlotte wiggled around between them.

"Mmhmmm," he grumbled, as his breathing slowly evened out.

Looking down at Charlotte, Melanie gently ran her fingers across her forehead. "Close your eyes, baby girl," she whispered.

Within minutes, as Chris began to snore again, Charlotte's eyes began to droop as both he and Melanie snuggled around her. Once they were both out, Melanie laid quietly and watched, smiling at the sight before her.

….

The next afternoon, Melanie was quickly packing up her bag for the weekend, as her co-workers milled about outside. In the middle of uploading a PDF to the main network for her students, there was a knock against the door that startled her.

"Rosette!" she smiled, waving her into the room. "What's up?"

The petite American studies professor moved across the room and sat down on the chair in front of Melanie's desk. "Just wanted to see what you were up to," she shrugged, kicking off her heels. "Little bastards in my intro class were being a nightmare today!"

Melanie snorted, "Poor thing," she shook her head. "You should make your hubby your slave tonight."

Rosette snickered, "He's already dragging me upstate for the weekend," she sighed. "Thank god for that, because I really don't want to be in the city at the moment."

"I hear ya," she nodded, powering down her laptop. "There are many days when I want to get the fuck out of here and go back to Seattle. Chris and I started looking at houses near my brother, but it's a tough choice. We really want to move out there with jobs under our belts."

"Speaking of hubby's," Rosette grinned, as Melanie blushed. "When is he gonna stop by with your little baby? Last time I saw her, she didn't talk!"

Melanie shoved the laptop into her bag, along with a stack of papers and books. "Well, considering Charlotte's beginning her stage of being a restless toddler, I'm hoping never because I actually like my job."

"But she's soooo cute!" Rosette pouted. "Please? I'm trying to give Rick proof that babies are adorable and that he should put one in me before I turn thirty-two!"

"Good luck with that," she snorted; knowing fully that her husband was very skittish around children.

Rosette sighed, "What are your plans for today?" she yawned, pulling the hair clip out to shake the ebony curls loose. "It's supposed to snow this weekend."

Melanie nodded, "Sadly," she huffed, moving to check the windows of her office. "Chris and I need to go grocery shopping and I want to head up to either Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby to get some thermal pajamas for Charlie. And I did some research about those baby igloo things that you attach to the stroller. Chris doesn't really like brining her out with the temperature being so cold, and when he does, he carries her around all over the place."

"That is so sweet," Rosette sighed. "Nothing is hotter than a man holding a child. _Nothing!_

Slipping on her coat and wrapping her scarf around her neck, Melanie shook her head at the woman. "You could always stop taking your birth control," she offered, picking up her bag.

"Rick would shit himself and die," Rosette snorted, waving her hand at her. "Go on, get out of here before they stop and beg you to stay. I'll call you Sunday when I get back from the woods."

"Have fun!" Melanie laughed, as Rosette quickly left to hide in her own office.

Locking up, Melanie said a quick goodbye to the secretaries in the department office, and made her way towards the elevator bank. Pulling out her cellphone, she quickly checked her emails and read the few texts from her brother, Nyota and Anne. Taking the elevator down to the main level, Melanie quickly slipped her gloves on and made her way towards the door, nodding to security.

"Have a good weekend, Professor!" the young man nodded. "Stay safe out there!"

"You too, Al!" she smiled, as she pushed the door open.

Making her way down the front steps of the building, Melanie gasped at the sight before her. Bundled up in winter gear, Chris stood near the front steps with Charlotte in his arms.

"What are you two doing here?" she gasped, as he kissed her hello. "It's freezing out!"

Charlotte squeaked at the sight of her, holding her hand out to her. "Charlie and I missed you and wanted to see you," he said, as he placed Charlotte into her arms.

"Hi baby," Melanie smiled, kissing her cheek. "Look at you! You're like a human marshmallow!"

Chris took her bag and shouldered it, while Melanie shifted Charlotte in her arms. "You didn't bring her stroller?" she asked, as they started towards the subway.

"It's a pain in the ass to tote around sometimes," he shrugged. "Plus I figured we'd go with you to pick up some jammies and the food."

Melanie nodded, "You sure you want to look at clothes? Last time you looked miserable and I ended up forgetting a lot of stuff."

He wrapped his arm around her waist, "This time I'll be really good," he grinned. "I promise."

"You better," she shook her head, reaching up to fix Charlotte's hat. "Right Charlie girl? Tell Daddy that he better be really good today, or else he wont get any cookies after dinner!"

Charlotte babbled in her arms, looking up at the buildings as they passed by. "I don't think she cares," Chris snorted, as they started down the subway steps. "Besides, I always get my way, even when I'm bad."

Melanie shook her head, "Guess I'll have to try harder to put limits on you and our bedroom activity," she sighed. "Before we start making regular visits back to Doctor Kaui's office."


	3. Chapter 3

By mid-Friday afternoon, the snow was falling heavily upon Manhattan and the East coast. With the entire city on lockdown, Chris was home until further notice, giving Melanie the chance to get some work done to free up her weekend.

"Here we go, Charlie," Chris said from the living room. "We'll watch some Disney and then you'll go down for a nap."

Melanie snorted as she typed up a mass email to send out to her students, all while Jim sent message after message on the Facebook chat box.

_Is it snowing?_

_Can you post pictures?_

_Are you trying to put Charlie down for nap, so u and Chris can bone? Lol.. boneeeee._

Melanie quickly sent a message back, insisting that she needed to get some work done and that she would post pictures of the snow later on.

_It's eleven-thirty and Jo's at school. How about you and my brother bone until you pass out? _

Before Jim could reply, Melanie shut the webpage down and sent out the email, before turning the computer off. Getting up, Melanie made her way to the door and turned the light off, before stepping out into the hall. Making her way into the living room, Melanie found Chris lying out on the sofa while Charlotte sat on his chest with her back against the cushions.

"What are we watching?" Melanie asked, turning to the look at the screen. "Is this Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?" she gasped.

Charlotte babbled and pointed to the television, "'Ouse!" she cried.

"Is that Mickey?" Chris asked, tickling her belly lightly. "Who's that with him? Is that Minnie and Pluto?"

Melanie smiled, "I'm going to figure out what to make for dinner," she said, nodding her head to the kitchen. "Did she eat?"

Chris nodded, "After this is over, I'll put her down for a nap," he said. "Baby girl has been up since seven."

"That sounds oddly familiar," she frowned, as Chris scowled. "I think you said the same thing last week and we ended up on the floor in the bathroom for two hours."

"You attacked me first!" he cried, as Charlotte smacked his chin. "Ow! You're a tough little cookie!"

"Pa! 'Ouse!" she pointed to the television. " "Innie 'Ouse!"

Melanie snickered as she went in search for food, while Chris asked Charlotte whom each character was. "Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse are together!" he said, as Charlotte babbled. "Like Mommy and Daddy are together."

"Muh! Ma!" she shrieked in response.

"Did she just say Ma?" Melanie asked, stepping out of the kitchen. "Did you just say Ma, Charlie?"

Charlotte turned her head and pointed at her, grinning. "Ma!" she shrieked again. "Ma!"

Melanie covered her mouth with both hands and moved to kneel next to the couch, "You said Ma!"

Chris smiled, "Say it again, Charlie girl!" he tickled her lightly. "Go on!"

"Ma! Ma!"

"Oh my little baby," Melanie sobbed, moving to sit on the edge of the cushion. "You're so smart!"

Charlotte was oblivious to what the praise she was receiving was about, but enjoyed the attention that both her parents were giving her. Each kiss was met with a bubbly giggle, along with each tickle and soothing rub on her back. After a few minutes, the show had ended though it had been neglected due to Charlotte's surprise development, and naptime had finally arrived.

Sitting up, Chris took a firm hold on Charlotte and stood up from the sofa, kissing her noisily on the cheek. "Let's get ready for a nap," he said, as Melanie stood on her toes to kiss Charlotte.

"No!" she shook her head, wiggling in his arms. " "Ouse!"

"Mickey is in your crib with Minnie," Melanie nodded. "Daddy will tuck you all in and you'll take a nap together."

Charlotte began to whimper and groan, as Chris started down the hall with her. "Easy Charlie," Chris soothed, as he stepped into the crib. "Just for a little while!"

"NO!" the toddler wailed, before a round of shrill cries filled the back of the apartment.

Melanie sighed and quickly stood from her spot on the couch and made her way down the hall after them. "Try the baby lotion," she said, moving into the nursery, as Chris laid Charlotte out on the changing table. "The one with lavender. It should help calm her down."

Taking the bottle out of the storage basket on the shelf, Melanie set it down on the changing table and moved to get a fresh diaper. Chris took his time removing the thermal onesie, talking to Charlotte as he worked.

"Don't cry," he cooed, rubbing her belly gently. "Just a little nap and then later we can do whatever you want."

It took twenty minutes to rub her down with lavender scented lotion, along with putting a clean diaper and a fresh pair of pajamas, before rocking her to sleep. Once she was out, Chris gently set her down in the crib, tucking her and her Mickey and Minnie mouse toys with the blanket, before pulling side of the crib back up into place.

Setting the mobile and nightlight, Chris and Melanie quickly and quietly made their way out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them.

"Jesus," Chris sighed, setting his head back against the door. "I thought she'd never pass out."

"You think it's bad now?" Melanie snorted. "Wait until she hits her terrible twos! Then we'll look back and realize that this was a piece of cake!"

Chris hummed in acknowledgement, before giving her a lazy smile. "Since she's out," he started, pulling her towards him by her hips. "Wanna fool around?"

She snorted, "God, you cannot control yourself, can you?" she shook her head.

"I think three days is long enough, Mel," he pouted, leaning forward to kiss her brow. "Pleaseeee?"

"Okay, okay," she giggled. "But if she wakes up, _you're _getting her bottle ready."

He nipped at her neck and smirked, "Yes Ma'am," he growled lightly, before pulling her up into his arms, getting a muffled shout of surprise out of her. "Shhh, before _you _wake her up!"

…..

The weekend rolled by quickly, as Monday morning arrived quicker than the blink of an eye. Lucky to have the day off, Melanie woke up a little after nine and collected Charlotte from the nursery, before brining her down to the kitchen for breakfast. In the middle of feeding her a bowl of mushy baby cereal and mashed bananas, Chris shuffling out of the bedroom.

"Look who's awake!" Melanie snickered, as Charlotte slurped down the cereal. "Doesn't Daddy look like he partied too hard last night?"

Chris grumbled as he went to pour a cup of coffee for himself, "What's this?" he asked, standing by the stove.

"That is scrambled eggs and bacon," she said, scooping more cereal onto a spoon. "And yes, everything was cooked through and I promise you wont get sick or die!"

Picking up a piece of bacon, Chris munched nosily as he leaned against the counter. "Not bad," he nodded. "You've improved greatly, my dear."

Melanie snorted as Charlotte smacked her lips, shoving her hand into the bowl of mashed bananas, grinning at her mother. "Silly baby," she shook her head, picking up a napkin to wipe the mess up.

"So what are you planning to do today?" Chris asked, moving to grab a dish from the cupboard. "Going out?"

"Probably not," she shrugged. "The sidewalks weren't cleared that much according to Alice and it's still too cold out."

He nodded, "Besides, I wouldn't be able to push the stroller anywhere and I really don't want to walk around on icy grounds while holding Charlotte," she continued, standing up from the table.

"I think I'm going to look at houses," Chris shrugged, as he sat down at the table with his plate and cup of coffee. "I know it's something we've talked about on and off, but I just want to see if anything else opened up."

"Well, don't get attached to anything, Chris," Melanie warned, taking the carton of juice out of the fridge. "Can't go anywhere until the semester is over and until we find jobs in Seattle."

Chris pierced the eggs with one hand, while tickling Charlotte with the other. "I know that," he nodded. "Just want to get some ideas is all."

She eyed him carefully as she poured juice into a cup, "I was thinking of maybe tying to get Charlie to say a couple more words," she shrugged. "I mean, she's been saying a lot more than what's the norm for a sixteen month old as it is. But I figured a little practice wouldn't hurt."

"Maybe we can teach her a word that isn't "No", that way bedtime is a little easier," he said, wiping the drool off Charlotte's chin with her bib. "Can you say….egg?"

Charlotte giggled, covering her face with her hands. "Pa!" she squealed, kicking her legs out. "Pa!"

"How about…" Melanie looked around the kitchen, before setting her sights on a take out menu for sushi. "Sushi! Can you say sushi?"

The toddler managed to pull a scowl across her face, making Chris snort into his cup of coffee. "I don't think she likes that word," he shook his head, as Melanie came over to the table.

"Come on! Say Sushi!" she smiled, as Charlotte shook her head. "Sushi! Yummy!"

"NO!"

Melanie pouted, "You're no fun," she grumbled, sitting down on a chair. "One day I will get you to say sushi and you will love it!" she warned.

Chris chuckled as he fed Charlotte some scrambled eggs, "Maybe we should start off small, Mel," he glanced over at her, as Charlotte accepted the eggs from the plastic spoon. "Let's get a book that we normally read to her and have her point at the pictures and say what they are."

"Pa! Pa! Ohhh!" Charlotte babbled, taking hold of the spoon.

"Don't give her too much," Melanie warned, as Chris gave her another small spoonful of eggs. "She makes a mess in her diaper to begin with and I really don't want to smell it from her diaper. It's bad enough that you're eating so much as it is!"

Chris snorted, "Then why did you make them?" he asked, letting Charlotte gnaw on the spoon.

Melanie shrugged, "It's easy?" she offered, taking a sip from her juice. "I hope I have enough air freshener left, for when you gas out our bedroom later."

"Mommy thinks that everyone else has bad gas," he said to Charlotte, as she looked at him. "But really, she's the worst of them all."

"I am not!" Melanie exclaimed. "You better disappear into the other room, before I lock you in the closet."

He stood up and carefully unsnapped Charlotte from the highchair. "I'm going," he chuckled. "But I'm taking the princess with me!"

"Good," Melanie shrugged. "I hope she leaves a nice one in her diaper for you to clean up!"

Chris scowled before pressing a noisy kiss against Charlotte's cheek. "Ignore her," he said, as they started down the hall. "Mommy is mean to me."

"You weren't saying that last night!" she yelled after him, smirking as he coughed violently in shock.

Melanie shook her head and stood from the table, collecting the plates and cups. Washing everything quickly, Melanie tossed the sponge into the sink and dried her hands on a dish towel.

"Come on, Callie," she sighed, moving down the hall. "Let's go lay down for a while."

Callie meowed and quickly hopped off the chair, running ahead of Melanie and into the master bedroom.

"At least someone wants to cuddle with me," she mumbled, as Chris and Charlotte made a racket in the room across the hall. "Too bad Daddy doesn't want to."


	4. Chapter 4

The first full month of the spring semester came and went, as Melanie fell into the life of being a professor, wife and mother all at once. Shortly after her class and office hours came and went, Melanie found herself coming home and juggling house work and caring for Charlotte, while Chris went to work by four in the afternoon. By the time he came home, some nights way after midnight, Chris found her either passed out in bed or struggling to put the baby down for bed.

When Joanna's winter break finally arrived in February, she and Leonard finally surprised Jim with his birthday gift and arrived late Friday night to Manhattan. Melanie tried to stay up, while Chris and Richard went to JFK to pick them up, but ended up passing out on the sofa an hour before they came in. As Chris carried her into the bedroom, both Leonard and Jim noticed how rundown she had looked and began to worry.

"Has she been eating?" Jim asked, early the next morning, as Melanie slept. "I've never seen her look this thin before!"

Chris nodded, "She eats," he said. "But usually it's a granola bar as she's running out the door or a few bites of something in-between the evenings when she has to feed and bathe Charlotte."

"What about work?" Leonard asked, as he fed Charlotte her breakfast of mashed pears. "She works the two days and has the two hours in the office afterwards, right?"

"She said work was fine," Chris sighed. "Guys, I really don't know. The last few weeks have been hectic with us both working, keeping this place a safety zone and making sure this one doesn't get into everything."

Charlotte babbled as Leonard wiped her mouth with her bib. "How about you two go out on a night when you don't have work?" Jim suggested. "We can watch Charlotte and you two can go have a date night!"

Leonard nodded, "I think that's a great idea!" he said, as Jim beamed at him. "Go to dinner or to that ice cream place ya'll went to when she was pregnant!"

"But we hardly see you guys," Chris said, as Jim poured himself another cup of coffee. "I figured we'd spend the week together catching up."

"And we will do that," Jim promised. "But we also want to spend time with Charlie and try to reign her into our world of mischief!"

Leonard rolled his eyes and looked at Chris, "Please," he begged. "Take your wife out one night and let us deal with the baby. You two need a date night, which you haven't had since the day Charlotte was born."

Chris opened his mouth to protest, when Leonard shook his head. "I asked Alice and she even told me that you two haven't had a night to yourselves at all in the last year and a half!" he said. "Take her out, have dinner and by the time you come home Charlotte will be tucked into her crib and dreamin' of teacups or whatever the hell ya'll been showin' her."

"I think it's more Minnie and Mickey these days, hon," Jim snorted.

"That's all we can get her to watch at this point," Chris yawned. "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse."

Leonard snickered as he unstrapped Charlotte from the highchair, "Why don't you go and get an extra hour or two of sleep?" he asked, pulling Charlotte out of the chair. "I'll sit with this one and watch some Saturday morning cartoons for a while."

"Len you're on vaca-" Chris started, before the stern glare stopped him. "Okay, okay.. I'll go!"

"Good man," Leonard nodded, as Chris set his cup of coffee down.

Chris gave Charlotte a quick kiss on the cheek, "Be good," he said to her, as she patted Leonard on the cheek. "Make sure you're watching Disney and nothing else, Len. Usually it's Playhouse Disney at this hour."

"We've got it under control, "Jim chuckled. "Now get! You have a wife who needs some serious cuddling and we have a niece who needs some bonding with her Uncles."

Unable to protest any longer, Chris gave in and made his way back down the hall to the bedroom. As he climbed back under the sheets, he could hear Leonard and Jim talking to Charlotte as they television went on.

"You're such a good little girl," Jim cooed, as Charlotte babbled in her baby talk. "We're going to watch some TV and Joanna will wake up later on to join us, while your Mommy and Daddy get some sleep."

Chris yawned and rolled onto his side, wrapping his arm around Melanie's waist; careful not to wake her, for she needed more than four hours of sleep. It only took a few seconds, before he succumbed to his own exhaustion.

…..

By the time Chris woke up again, it was a little after ten and he was alone. He could hear chatter from the other room, signaling that Melanie was with the baby and the others. Taking a few minutes to freshen up, Chris made his way down the hall and into the living room, where Melanie sat on the floor with Charlotte.

"Are you bopping around?" she giggled, as Charlotte wiggled to the music from the IPod on the table. "You dance like Daddy when he's had too much happy juice."

Joanna giggled from the sofa, while Jim recorded the event on his phone. "Can you do the dougie?" he asked, as Charlotte screeched with happiness. "Or robot?"

At that moment, Melanie looked up and smiled. "Daddy's here!" she cooed, pointing to him. "Charlie! Daddy's here!"

Charlotte squawked and clapped her hands, bouncing even more on her feet. Chris took that moment to step further into the room, leaning over the back of the couch to watch.

"What are you doing, baby?" he chuckled, as Charlotte spotted him. "You dancing?"

"Your kid is a pro!" Jim chuckled. "Let's sign her up for Dancing With The Stars!"

Chris snorted, "She's too young for that," he shook his head, moving around the sofa to stand by Melanie.

Melanie smiled, "Do you want me to make you something?" she asked, looking up at him. "I could make some scrambled eggs."

He shook his head, "I'll just put some bread in the toaster," he said. "Where's your brother?"

"Went to the store," Jim rolled his eyes. "Complained that everything in your kitchen was for a baby, which is pretty funny because you have a baby."

Joanna sighed, "Daddy's just being a baby," she waved her hand at him. "He saw the container of organic lettuce and was yelling about how you guys turned into hippies after Spock and Nyota came to visit."

Melanie rolled her eyes, "Well, he didn't have to lose thirty pounds of baby weight," she shook her head, moving to stand up. "Not everyone can lose weight that fast."

Chris wrapped his arm around her waist, "Easy tiger," he kissed her cheek.

"Could you watch the baby?" she asked Jim. "I'm going to make Mr. Sleepypants some breakfast."

Jim grinned, "Come here, Charlie!" he wiggled his fingers at her. "Come on! Come to Uncle Jim!"

Taking Chris by the hand, Melanie led him to the kitchen and over to the table. "Sit!" she lightly pushed him into the chair.

"Baby, you don't have to make me breakfast," he said, as she moved to the fridge.

"Chris, please let me do this!" she said, taking the carton of eggs out. "You make breakfast for me all the time, so let me do it!"

He held up his hands, "Okay!" he nodded, as she went to the stove. "Did you eat?"

She nodded, "Jim cut up a bunch of fruit and I may've had a mimosa," she blushed.

"A mimosa?" he whistled. "My, my… aren't we fancy this morning."

"A little champagne never hurt nobody," she snorted, as she cracked the eggs into a bowl.

Chris shook his head, "I don't know," he sighed. "I distinctly remember you downing three glasses at Scotty and Gaila's wedding and pulling me into the ladies room, all while trying to take your panties off."

Melanie turned to look at him, "You weren't complaining," she scowled. "In fact it was _you _who locked the door and pushed me up against the counter."

"Where the hell did you guys get champagne anyway? It's nine-thirty in the morning on a Saturday," he frowned.

"We had a bottle in the back of the cabinet from New Years," she shrugged. "It wasn't opened and the date was still good, so we cracked it open and now it's in the fridge."

He nodded, "You want one?" she asked, picking up the spatula to stir the eggs around on the pan. "I'll even put an orange wedge on the rim of your glass."

"Sure," he shrugged. "But don't fill two-thirds of the glass with champagne and put a splash of orange juice, Mel. I'd like to be alert today, seeing as I haven't seen my niece since Thanksgiving."

Melanie gasped, "I would never take advantage of you!" she said, moving to get the items for the drink. "Especially so early in the morning while everyone's awake!"

Chris snorted, "Later I'll spike your drink and have my way with you," she winked. "We shouldn't have any problem putting Charlie down for bed tonight, especially when Len and Jim around."

"Thank god," he sighed, as she mixed his drink.

Once the drink was made, Melanie came to the table and set it down before him with the carton of juice. "If it's too strong, just add more juice," she said. "Food should be done in a bit."

Chris picked up the glass and nodded, watching as she bounded over to the stove. With the promise of some alone time later that evening, Chris decided that he would bring up the idea of date night that Leonard and Jim had suggested earlier that morning. Taking a sip of his drink, which was just right in taste, Chris hoped that his wife would find a liking to the idea.


	5. Chapter 5

A little later, long after dinner, playtime and bath time, Melanie and Chris finally had their alone time. Leonard and Jim headed down to a bar, while Joanna camped out on the sofa watching television and to make sure they made it through the front door without breaking their necks. Charlotte had been tucked into her crib, after a bedtime story and a massive amount of hugs and kisses from everyone. Now that it was nearing midnight, the couple could barely think straight; let alone keep their eyes opened.

"I know I promised to have my way with you," Melanie yawned. "But I can't even lift my arms up to hold you down."

Chris snorted, "How about I just…fondle you a bit?" he asked, earning a giggle from her. "Probably wouldn't last a second though."

Melanie slowly rolled onto her stomach, pressing the side of her face into the pillow. "We should've taken that opportunity when Charlotte went down for her nap," she mumbled. "Could've done it in the bathroom."

"Maybe we should have a night off," he suggested, as she wiggled against the blankets. "Just a night with you and me, going out to dinner and enjoying some downtime without the baby interrupting.

"How can we have a night off?" she grunted. "Charlotte can stand a second without us unless it's nap-time or bed-time."

Chris rolled over onto his side, "Len and Jim could watch her for a night," he shrugged. "Tire her out, so that when we come home we can come right in here and fool around."

Melanie shifted her head on the pillow, "Alone time means that no one else is in the apartment," she frowned. "How can we really fool around when dumb and dumber are in the next room? And Joanna could hear us."

"Mel, I just want to have one night in which we both get dressed up, go out to dinner and relax," he whined. "I haven't gone out alone with you since before you had Charlotte."

"That's what happens, Chris," she huffed. "You have babies and they become the center of your attention."

Chris sighed, "Mel, you're running yourself into the ground between work and taking care of the house and Charlotte," he said. "You need a night with your hands free from doing laundry, sending out emails and making bottles."

She sighed, "Please Mel?" he begged. "Tuesday night. Cancel your office hours after lecture, come home and take a nap if need to, that way you can wake up refreshed and ready to go."

"Okay, okay," Melanie huffed. "I'll cancel my office hours for Tuesday and we'll go out!"

"Yes!" Chris cried in triumph, before pulling her into his arms. "I promise, you'll thank me so much afterwards. We really need this, Mel. _You _need this."

"But if I get one text or call from my brother or Jim that Charlotte is not being good for them," she warned. "We're coming home."

He kissed her gently on the lips, "Whatever you want, Mel," he nodded. "Ready for bed?"

She nodded, "So ready," she yawned again. "I hope to god those two come in quietly. If they wake the baby, I'll castrate and slaughter them and we'll adopt Joanna as our own."

Chris snorted, "Okay, time for bed," he pulled the blanket up to cover her. "Put that violent mind to rest now."

….

Monday morning brought sunshine and the ability to bring the stroller out onto the sidewalk, as the Pikes and McCoys bundled up for a day in the park.

"I am so glad some of this snow melted, "Melanie said, as she pushed the stroller. "I hate the way this city plows and salts this part of our area."

Joanna held onto Jim's hand tightly as they walked, "Can we build a snowman?" she asked, as they waited at the corner. "And have hot chocolate with marshmallows?"

"Of course we can!" Jim grinned. "And then maybe we'll throw a few snowballs at your Dad!"

Leonard cursed, "If you want to come home at the end of the week, you'll do no such thing," he snapped. "Why is it so goddamn cold here?!"

"It's winter," Chris stated. "It's supposed to be cold."

"Don't sass me, Pike," Leonard grumbled. "How anyone could have fun walking in the goddamn cold is beyond me!"

Crossing the street, the group made their way through one of the many entrances to Central Park; the walkway had been plowed, salted and shoveled, leaving hardly any traces of ice or snow from the small storm that passed the week before. Moving the stroller to the side, Melanie moved around to make sure Charlotte was snuggled deep into the stroller blanket that was attached to the actual stroller.

"Are you all toasty in there?" she cooed, as Charlotte gave her a smile. "My goodness, Charlie! Daddy and Uncle Jim really doubled up on the layers, huh?"

"She's too young to have missing limbs," Chris pouted. "Plus, I don't want her catching a cold!"

Jim snorted, "You just want to get it in tomorrow night," he whispered, nudging him.

Chris glared at him, "Don't you have a snowman to make?" he asked, as Joanna hopped around in her snow boots.

"Come on, Jo," Jim laughed. "Uncle Chris is being a baby!"

Joanna took his hand, "Don't be a baby!" she giggled, as Jim lead her down the walkway. "Daddy! Come on!"

Leonard grumbled and pulled the collar of his jacket up higher, "Calm your horses, Jo! I'm coming!" he yelled, as Joanna grew impatient. "You two gonna be okay?"

"Go on," Chris nodded. "We'll catch up in a bit."

He nodded and followed Jim and Joanna, leaving them at the bench. Melanie reached around the stroller and grabbed the blanket from the under storage bin, shaking it out.

"I think she's warm enough, Mel," Chris chuckled, as she set the blanket over the top of the stroller. "Right Charlie? Tell Mommy that you're snug as a bug and ready to go."

Charlotte squealed as Melanie picked up the pacifier that fell into the hood of her coat. "I just want to block the wind out, Chris," she said, putting the pacifier in Charlotte's mouth.

"If it gets to windy, we'll pull the blanket down and call it a day," he promised, kissing her cheek. "Let's go catch up with the others before they got lost and the police end up calling. You're brother is quite capable of getting them thrown into jail with his attitude."

…..

They played in the park until the temperature dropped and the wind picked up, turning their noses red and their fingers stiff with cold. Restless and in need of a diaper change, Charlotte became fussy as ever, whimpering to the point where crying was evident. Unstrapping her from the "igloo" as Chris called it, Charlotte was wrapped up with the extra blanket and snuggled against her father's chest.

"Okay Charlie," he cooed, as she whimpered. "We'll go right home and we'll give you a nice warm bottle."

"I think hot showers are in need after today!" Jim declared, as he carried Joanna. "I can't even feel my nose. Can you feel your nose?"

Joanna shook her head, "No," she said, as her teeth chattered. "Can we have more hot chocolate when we get back?"

Leonard nodded, "Hot shower and then hot chocolate," he said, tugging her hat further down on her head. "Then we're going to wrap you up like a burrito."

Heading towards the exit of the park, the group quickly made their way up the six blocks to the apartment, all while shivering and cursing the bitter cold that sank deep into their bones. By the time they reached the apartment, Charlotte was wailing her lungs out as Chris tried to settle her.

"Baby, baby.." he jiggled her. "Look, we're home! We're home."

Melanie handed the keys over to Leonard, before closing up the stroller. "Here we go," Leonard said, pulling the door open. "Everyone in!"

Jim and Joanna quickly made their way into the building, followed by Melanie and the stroller.

"Get her right into the bath, Chris," Leonard said, as they started up the stairs. "I'll put the bottle together for her, that way Jim can put Jo in the shower first."

As soon as they stepped foot into the apartment, Chris and Melanie made a mad dash to their bedroom, their wet boots squelching against the hardwood floor.

"I'll put the water on," Melanie yelled, as she ran into the bathroom. "Get her out of those clothes!"

The water went on as Charlotte continued to screech, kicking her legs out as Chris removed the layers of clothing from her. Melanie came out of the bathroom, tossing her coat and other winter apparel onto the bed a few minutes later.

"Ready?" she asked, as Chris picked her up. "Come on, Charlie girl. Let's warm you up and then we'll give you a bottle."

Taking the baby, Melanie started towards the bathroom. "Get one of the short sleeve onesies from the top drawer of the dresser," she said, as Chris pulled his own jacket off. "Then I need one of her thermal footie pajamas, as well as a diaper."

Chris nodded, "Put her in the bath," he said, as he started towards the bedroom door. "I'll get her clothes and I'll double check on that bottle."

Dashing across the hall, Chris grabbed the necessary supplies, as well as the blanket from Charlotte's crib. He could still hear her crying from the bathtub, as Melanie tried to soothe her.

"She's still cryin'?" Leonard asked, as he came down the hall with the bottle. "Poor girl is probably chilled to the damn bone."

"Thank you," Chris said, as he took the bottle from him. "Hopefully this is all the result of being hungry and needing a nap."

Leonard nodded, "Hopefully," he sighed. "I'm gonna check on those two before they flood out your spare bathroom."

Going their separate ways, Chris made his way back into the bedroom and set the clothes down on the bed and the bottle on the nightstand. "How's she doing?" he asked, as Melanie pulled the toddler out of the tub.

"I think we made a big mistake staying out for so long," Melanie said, as she wrapped the towel around her. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you dried off and dressed!"

Charlotte continued to wail as Melanie dressed her, her face scrunched up and angry as her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Swaddling her in the blanket, Chris picked her up and cradled her in his arm, while Melanie tested the temperature of the bottle.

"Here we go," he said, as Charlotte's cries turned into stuttering whimpers.

Easing the nipple of the bottle in her mouth, Charlotte began to furiously suck the formula down. Melanie let out a sigh of relief, while Chris shifted the toddler in his arms.

"That's what you wanted, huh?" she said, shaking her head. "My goodness, Charlie. We're gonna have to get you talking full sentences soon."

Chris snorted as Charlotte continued to slurp down her meal, "I just hope to god she doesn't get sick now," he sighed, as Charlotte's eyes began to droop. "Please don't get sick, Charlie. Pleaseeee!"

"We'll have to keep an eye on her, "Melanie sighed, as she stood up. "I'm going to change quickly and then I'll take her so you can change."

He nodded, "I'll let the others know that there's soup in the cabinet," he said, as Melanie grabbed a pair of sweats from the dresser. "I think I'll stay with Charlie until she warms up and settles down for a nap."

"I'll stay with you," she nodded, pulled a sweatshirt off the back of the chair. "We can get under the blankets and cuddle like Eskimos."

As she changed in the bathroom, Jim appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. "How's she doing?" he asked, rubbing the towel over his head. "Look at her go with that bottle."

Chris chuckled, "I think she's gonna be okay," he shrugged. "We're gonna lay in here for a while, just until she warms up a bit and conks out."

Jim nodded, "I'm gonna make Jo some hot chocolate and I think she's gonna take a nap too," he said. "Poor girl looks beat for the day."

"There's soup in the cabinet if you guys want any," Chris said, as Melanie came out of the bathroom. "Whatever you guys need.."

"Thanks," Jim nodded. "We'll wake you a little later to figure out dinner and stuff."

Melanie took Charlotte and nodded, "If you guys get hungry before hand you can eat, Jim," she smiled. "Don't worry about us."

He nodded, "I'll let you guys get some rest," he said, taking the doorknob in his hand. "Get some sleepies, Charlie girl. Tomorrow your Uncle Jim and Uncle Bones are gonna teach you some breakdancing."

With a quick wave, Jim pulled the door shut and left them in silence. Moving towards the bed, Melanie set Charlotte against her hip and pulled the blankets down with one hand.

"Here we go," she said, setting her down in the middle of the bed. "Snuggle time."

Chris quickly stripped out of his damp clothes and tossed them into the hamper, before grabbing a pair of sweatpants from the laundry basket. Once he was semi-dressed, he climbed into bed next to his wife and daughter, pulling the blankets up and over him.

"Ready for a nap?" he asked, as Charlotte yawned widely. "I take that as a yes."

Melanie shifted against the pillows before settling down, placing one hand lightly against Charlotte's belly. "Me too," she sighed deeply. "Snow makes me sleepy."

Chris chuckled, "Everything makes you sleepy," he yawned.

"Mmhmmm," she nodded, her eyes closed at that point. "Kay, night."

As Melanie fell asleep, her hand limp against Charlotte's belly, Chris moved his gaze to the toddler. "Sleepy?" he whispered, as Charlotte's eyes drooped. "Go to sleep, baby girl."

Chris laid quietly on he side, watching as Charlotte quietly fell asleep between them both; her little chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. As the late afternoon settled over the city, nothing else mattered at that moment as he watched the two most important people in his life sleep. Pulling the blanket up to Charlotte's chin, Chris settled his head down on the pillow and relaxed; the exhaustion of the day, finally taking over.


	6. Chapter 6

"You better wear your best panties, Miss Mellie," Jim snickered, as she stood before the bathroom mirror. "Make this night worth it, honey."

Melanie looked away from the mirror, the eyeliner pencil in her hand. "Really Jim?" she sighed. "Chris likes all of my panties."

Jim snorted, "You got that right," he said. "Little Charlie in there is all the proof we need for that statement."

"Shouldn't you be picking out my outfit?" she asked, moving back to apply the finishing touches of her makeup. "You banned my husband from coming in here, after picking out his clothes. Then you force him to take a shower in that shitty bathroom we let you guys use, with the temperamental water pressure and what not."

"My goodness, you are pretty bitchy today," he chuckled, moving away from the door to the closet. "For someone who is totally getting laid tonight, you'd be a bit more cheerful."

She snorted, "Trust me! I am!" she yelled, as Jim ripped through the closet. "Hmmmm… let's see what we've got here."

Once her makeup was done and to her liking, Melanie stepped out of the bathroom just as Jim pulled a short black dress out of the closet. "This is totally hot," he gasped, twisting the hanger around in his hand. "Yes! You're totally wearing this tonight!"

"I don't even think that fits me anymore, Jim!" she said. "There's a floral printed dress that'll work."

But he shook his head, "Nope!" he shoved the garment at her. "Tonight you are the hot and sexy wife with the baby at home. Not the frumpy housewife who rather be home instead of on the arm of my sexy husband."

"My clothes aren't frumpy," she pouted, as Jim pulled out a pair of heels that were way too high. "And I am not wearing those! I'll end up slipping on ice and breaking my neck, and neither of us will be getting laid for a long time."

"Just get your ass in the bathroom, get dressed and trust me," Jim sighed. "I would never send you out there, looking like shit."

With a reluctant sigh, Melanie went back into the bathroom and closed the door. Jim set the heels down on the bed and moved to the dresser, poking through Melanie's jewelry box as she changed in the other room. As he rifled through the array of bracelets and rings, the bathroom door swung open.

"Oh god, my ass is still fat as ever," she groaned, stepping out. "Chris is going to laugh at me."

Jim turned around and whistled, "If I wasn't dating your brother and you weren't married, I would totally bang you," he said, eyes moving from heat to toe. "I wouldn't even blame you guys, if you skipped dinner and rented a hotel room tonight."

Melanie tugged at the very short skirt of the dress, "It's good?" she asked, turning around in a full circle. "I don't look like a Kardashian sister, stuffing myself into a fancy dress?"

"Mel, you're hot!" he insisted. "Let's get some sparkles on ya and knock Chris's socks off!"

...

"Do you think they're doing it in the bathroom at the restaurant?" Jim snickered, as he set the dirty dishes into the sink. "How long until we get the phone call to pick them up at the jail house?"

Leonard scowled, as he carried Charlotte around on his hip. "I think they're having a lovely dinner and enjoying their night off from baby duty," he said.

Charlotte squealed as Joanna came into the room, holding a book under her arm. "Ah! Ah!" she pointed at her. " "Oh!"

"Is that Jo?" Leonard asked, kissing her cheek. "Jo Jo's gonna read you a story, baby girl."

Setting her down on wobbly legs, Leonard held her up in a standing position as Joanna took her hand. "Just take it easy, Jo. She's still learnin'." Leonard sighed, as Charlotte took a few wobbly steps.

"Come on, Charlie," Jo cooed. "We're going to read a story!"

Jim and Leonard watched as Joanna slowly walked Charlotte out of the kitchen and into the next room.

"How long do you think it'll take for them to pass out?" Jim asked, as Charlotte screeched with joy in the other room.

"Not for a while," Leonard sighed, turning to look at him. "Why? You tired already?"

The blonde shook his head, "I just want to know when I can have my way with you, without having the two of them interrupting," he grinned. "I already told Jo that she could camp out on the sofa again tonight with the television on."

Leonard snorted, "Just what I need," he shook his head. "My sister and Chris bursting into the apartment, tearing at each others clothes and my daughter on the couch."

"OH god, it's not like they'll start fucking in the living room or on the damn floor," Jim huffed.

"You don't know my sister then," he shook his head. "I guaran-fucking-tee, that they've fucked all over this place since moving in."

Jim shrugged, "So?" he asked. "We've done it almost all over the house after I moved in.."

Leonard shook his head, "You're insane," he muttered, moving to the sink. "Wipe that table down and put the left overs into the fridge!"

"Yes, Sir!" Jim smirked. "My, you are very sexy when you're bossy.

"Don't get your hopes up, Jim," he warned, turning the sink on. "I may just force you to put Charlie to bed tonight."

Jim shook his head, "No way!" he cried. "I'm the one that woke up this morning to watch her, while Mel got ready for work! You and Chris were too lazy to get out of bed to give her a bottle and clean her diaper!"

"That's because I had to listen to you bitch and moan all night about having frost-bite on your toes and on your goddamn ass," he snapped. "Hoggin' all the damn blankets and kickin' like a epileptic!"

"I love you too, Bones," Jim snorted, as he stepped away from the counter. "No really, I love you. You sure know how to make my heart swoon and make a boy feel real special."

Leonard snorted, "You're a pain in the ass, kid," he sighed. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with you at this point."

Jim wrapped his arms around his neck, "Can't get rid of me," he shrugged. "I'd follow you all over the world and sleep right outside your door."

"God help me."

….

The sound of keys and a shoe hitting the floor, followed by snickering, echoed off the wall as the couple tried to unlock the front door.

"Shhh," Chris snorted, as Melanie tried to wrap her leg around his hip. "Mel, before the neighbors wake up."

"Hurry then!" she whined, as he tried to get the key into the lock. "How about we just do it here? SO what if the neighbors come out? They've already seen my vagina!"

Chris finally got the right key in, and quickly unlocked the door. "Because we could get arrested for having sex in public," he said, pushing the door open quietly. "And I really want to fuck you in our bed, where it's comfortable."

She moaned lightly, "God, I really, really, _really_ want you to nail me into the mattress," she bit her lip.

"Oh my god," he pushed her lightly into the apartment, before bending down to retrieve her shoe. "Someone had a little too much wine with their dinner tonight."

Melanie kicked off her other shoe, and dropped her clutch on the floor, "Shhh," she placed her finger against her lips. "Get in here before the baby wakes up!"

Once in the apartment, the door closed and locked up, Chris set the other shoe on the hall table and quickly pulled Melanie into his arms. "You better," he kissed her, "be quiet or else I'll gag you."

"Oh _god," _she gasped, as he picked her up. "Do whatever you want, Chris. Just get me in that bed!"

He started down the hall to the bedroom, his hands sliding up and under the skirt of her too-short dress. "Goddamn, the things you do to me," he whispered, as she nibbled on his earlobe. "How did I get so lucky?"

"You make really good food and know how to treat a lady," she smirked, as they crashed into the bedroom. "And how you work with your hands.. and your mouth."

Chris bit her lips lightly as he shut the door, "You're really putting the works in for this, huh?" he asked, walking across the room in three steps, before dropping her onto the bed.

Melanie crawled back to sit in the middle of the bed, "Wanna make it special," she smirked, as he crawled over her. "Very special."

"Then I guess I better work twice as hard to make that happen," he whispered, grinning down at her.

"Well, you better get to work then," she purred. "Before we're interrupted and have to postpone this little adventure."

Chris leaned down and captured her lips with his, pushing her lightly down on the mattress. "Remember to keep it down," he warned, as she laid out across the comforter.

"Oh, I'll try," she moaned. "But I can't promise total silence."

…

The next morning, Jim and Leonard were up and making breakfast, when Chris made his way out into the kitchen.

"Well," Jim shook his head. "I guess someone had a _little _too much fun last night."

Chris grunted, rubbing a hand over his face. "Coffee," he huffed, moving to sit at the table. "Hey Jo."

"Are you sick?" she frowned, cocking her head to the side. "You look like Daddy after he's had too many happy juices with Uncle Scotty."

Jim snickered, "He's fine, Jo," Leonard rolled his eyes. "He just stayed up way past his bedtime."

"How about you go check on Charlie?" Jim offered, brining a cup of coffee over to the table. "If she's awake then that means she's hungry and ready to see her parents."

Joanna quickly got up from the table and dashed out of the room, leaving the adults to talk.

"So," Leonard picked up the package of bacon. "How dead to the world is my sister right now?"

"Oh she's dead all right," Chris sighed, wrapping his hands around the cup. "Didn't fall asleep 'til four-thirty."

Jim whistled, "Damn Chris!" he shook his head. "How can you even keep up that long? Are you on Viagra or one of those fancy-named pills?"

"JIM!" Leonard hissed, whacking him on the arm.

"No Jim, I don't take Viagra or one of those fancy-named pills," Chris snorted. "I'm just that good."

Leonard snorted, "Oh please," Jim shook his head. "Well, if Mel calls us up in a few months with news of a bun in the oven, then we'll now that last night was a success!"

Chris shook his head, "No babies for a while," he said, as Joanna came back into the room. "Not until Charlie's a bit older."

"She's awake!" Joanna said, moving back to her chair. "I think she pooped because she stinks."

"I'll go change her diaper," Leonard said, as Jim took the spatula from him. "How about you get the Queen up from her chamber? Poor girl needs to eat something."

Jim snickered again, "Oh she ate," he muttered, before yowling as Leonard kicked his shin. "ASS! I'm standing with a pan of grease here, and you're kicking me!"

"Don't be a nasty pig," Leonard shot back, as he started out of the kitchen. "Jo-Jo, get the forks out of the drawer and Jim will give you the plates."

Chris stood up and started to the counter, pulling a cup out of the cabinet. "Here's the plates, Jo," he said, taking a stack out off the shelf. "Just be careful or else Aunt Mellie will be whiney all morning if they break."

Pouring a cup of coffee and adding a bit of sugar, Chris picked the cup up and started down the hallway to the bedroom. Upon entering the room, Chris got a full view of Melanie's bare-back, as she laid face down in bed; her hair fanned out on the pillow and her arms shoved under the pillows. Pushing the door closed, Chris made his way around the bed and set the coffee down on the table, before sitting on the bed.

"Mel?" he gently rubbed her back, earning a groan from her. "Time to wake up."

"Uhhhhhh, no," she grunted, pressing her face deeper into the pillow.

Chris leaned forward and kissed her shoulder, "Breakfast is cooking and I have coffee," he bribed. "Plus, you need to put clothes on.. as much as it pains me to say this."

Melanie managed to roll over slowly, not caring that she was completely naked as the day she was born. "Hmmm, 'M'tired.." she yawned.

"I know you're tired, but you need to eat something and put clothes on," he said, as her face scrunched up with disgust at the thought. "Plus Charlie wants to see you."

"Fineeeee," she grumbled, throwing her forearm across her face. "I need clothes."

Chris got up from the bed and moved towards the dresser, digging through the drawers for comfortable clothes. Sitting up, Melanie let the sheet fall to her lap, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Hmmm," she groaned, as he returned to the bed. "I don't want to get out of bed."

He snorted, "Wore you out, huh?" he asked, shaking the shirt out. "Arms up."

Melanie did what she was told, "I'll be walking funny for a week," she said, as the shirt came down across her top. "Worth it though."

Helping her out of bed, Melanie groaned at the burn of her muscles and the ache in her bones, as she slipped on a pair of panties and sweats. Taking the cup of coffee from Chris, Melanie took a few sips before sighing.

"Good?" he asked, as she clutched the cup to her chest.

"For the most part," she breathed deeply. "Come on.. before they think we're going at it again."

She groaned, "But that requires walking and being social," she stomped her foot light on the carpet. "Can you just bring my food in here, along with Charlie?"

"Nope," he shook his head. "Let's go! March you butt out to the kitchen and be social with your brother and his boyfriend."

"You're so meannnnn!" she whined, as he lead her out the door. "After I let you do _unspeakable _things to me, this is the thanks I get?"

Chris snorted, "Sweetheart, the _unspeakable _things I did to you last night, are things I would've done without your permission," he swatted her behind. "Now, stop stalling and move it!"

Grumbling, Melanie stomped half-assed into the kitchen, muttering threats under her breath as Chris chuckled behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chris and Leonard lugged eight bags up three flights of stairs; all while shivering from the bitter cold that consumed the city. From outside the front door, they could hear the television playing some sort of cartoon, as Chris struggled to unlock the door.

"I fucking hate this place," he hissed, finally getting the key into the lock. "I miss having fucking windows, so that people could see when your goddamn car pulled up."

Finally, the lock clicked and the knob turned, allowing the heavy door to swing open. Stepping into the apartment, Chris kicked the door shut with his foot and followed Leonard into the kitchen, dropping all the bags onto the table.

"Why don't I hear noise that isn't related to some horrifying cartoon show?" Leonard asked, pulling off his coat. "Usually Jim would be running in here like a madman."

"The hell if I know," Chris said, dropping his jacket on the back of the chair. "Mel? Jim?"

Stepping into the living room, Chris caught and eyeful of a Disney cartoon playing on the television, before taking note of the bodies on one sofa. Moving closer, he saw that it was Jim and Joanna, snuggled against one another and fast asleep. Turning to the next sofa, he found Melanie sprawled out across the cushions and out cold. On her chest, covered in a pink blanket and out cold, was Charlotte. Grabbing the remote, Chris turned the television off and moved back into the kitchen.

"Did you find them?" Leonard asked, as he pulled the refrigerator door open.

"They're all sleeping," he nodded, pulling a bag of carrots and a box of pasta out of another bag. "I take it they had a long day."

It was only Thursday, the day before Jim's birthday and Melanie's last work day of the week. An hour after Melanie left for work, Chris left Jim in charge of watching Charlotte, while Joanna dozed in and out on the sofa. With plans to celebrate Jim's birthday with a big dinner and cake, they needed to shop and find a place that would have a cake ready on such short notice. Something, as Chris and Leonard moved from bakery to bakery, that wasn't so easy in Manhattan.

"God, I hope we can get through tomorrow without any issue," Leonard sighed, tossing the empty bags into the wicker basket on the shelf.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Chris nodded. "Cake should be ready to pick up by eleven and the day will be great."

Just then, Melanie shuffled into the kitchen; Charlotte nestled against her chest and wrapped up in her blanket.

"What's going on," she yawned, rubbing the toddler's back. "Did ya get everything for tomorrow?"

Chris nodded, "Jim's birthday dinner is all covered as well as his cake," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Did you have a good nap?"

Melanie groaned, "No," she mumbled, shifting Charlotte in her arms. "Let's just say I took a three hour "angry" nap and now I feel like shit."

"Bad day?" Leonard asked.

She nodded, "Half of my class is filled with idiots, who will end up failing and will be held back from graduating," she huffed. "Then I slammed my goddamn hand in the file cabinet and stubbed my toe against the lectern."

Moving her hand out from under the blanket, Melanie showed them the medical tape that held both her pointer and middle finger taped together.

"Jesus Christ," Chris exclaimed, grabbing her wrist lightly. "What the hell?!"

"Shhh," she hissed, as Charlotte stirred against her neck. "Do you know how long it took for her to fall asleep?"

He sighed, "Sorry! But Mel, what the hell happened?" he asked, examining her fingers. "Are they broken?"

"No, thank god," she sighed. "I went down to the medical wing and the lady wrapped them up. They were a little swollen, but I was able to bend and move them."

"You should've called me," Chris shook his head. "You should get an X-ray to see if they're fractured."

Melanie nodded, "If the swelling doesn't go all the way down then I'll go," she promised. "For now, I'll just put some ice on it and pop a pain pill."

"Then no wine shall be consumed with your dinner tonight," Leonard snorted, as Chris took the baby. "At least it's your left hand, and not the hand you write with."

"How's your toe?" Chris asked, setting the blanket around Charlotte.

She sat down at the table and yawned, "That hurts too," she said, holding up her foot. "Luckily it's not broken or bruised, but still."

Leonard shook his head, "You need a caution sign on you at all times," he snorted. "You're a walking train wreck."

"Fuck you," she snapped, earning an eye roll from him. "Sorry! Just not in the mood right now for anything."

Chris nodded, "Why don't you go lay down in the bedroom for a while?" he suggested. "I'll put Charlie in her crib and we'll start dinner, that way you can get some more rest."

"Just don't take a pain pill yet," Leonard said. "Take a nap, come out for dinner and then you can take it."

"When did you become a doctor?" Melanie glared at him.

Leonard rolled his eyes again, "I know enough that you shouldn't take heavy drugs on an empty stomach," he shot back, as he moved towards the living room. "I'm going to check on these two."

Once he left, Chris turned and shook his head at Melanie. "You shouldn't be mean, Mel," he said. "I know you had a bad day and that you're tired, but he's only trying to help."

"Yes Chris! I know, I'm a bitch!" she rolled her eyes, standing up from the chair. "Have fun cooking dinner."

"Melanie!"

She ignored him as she started out of the kitchen, storming down the hall to the bedroom. The door slammed shut behind her, which made Charlotte whimper, as she buried her face into Chris's shoulder.

"I'm going to kill her," he muttered, hoping that Charlotte wouldn't wake up. "God help me."

Luckily, Charlotte didn't wake up and promptly drooled against on his shirt. "Good girl," he whispered, kissing the top her head. "Let's get you into bed now."

….

Chris was the first one up the following morning, easing his way out of bed quietly to use the bathroom around seven. Moving quietly across the hall, he stepped into Charlotte's room and found her standing up against the bars of her crib.

"Pa!"

"Shhh, baby," he made his way over to her. "Everyone's sleeping."

Taking her out, Chris set her down on the changing table and quickly went about, changing her diaper and talking quietly to her. Once a fresh diaper was secure and her onesie was snapped up, Chris scooped her back up and grabbed her Mickey doll out of the crib.

"Daddy's gonna make breakfast for you," he told her, as they started towards the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast? Last time we had eggs you had to take a bath twice, so we wont go that route again."

"Pa-Pa, 'nanas!" she babbled, before drooling on her fingers.

He grinned, "Bananas?" he asked, pulling the highchair closer to him. "You want some bananas?"

Setting her in, Chris moved to prepare her breakfast of mashed bananas and a bowl of rice cereal. Along with a bottle of formula warming up on the stove and the coffee pot running, Chris sat at the table and fed Charlotte slowly.

"Mommy's not feeling good," he told her, as she sucked down the spoonful of cereal. "Should we bring Mommy coffee and see if she wants breakfast?"

"Mamamamama," she wiggled in her chair, slapping her hands on the tray. "EEE! EEE!"

Chris chuckled as she giggled, throwing her hands up against her face. "You're a silly girl, Charlie," he wiped her mouth with the edge of the bib. "Let's finish your breakfast and get Mommy out of bed."

Once the bowls were half empty, the bottle was warm enough and the coffee was finished. Juggling a toddler, a cup of coffee and a bottle took a lot of practice, which Chris had plenty of for the last year and a half. When they stepped into the bedroom, Melanie was buried underneath the bedding and Charlotte was growing fussy.

"Shhh," he whispered, setting the coffee cup on the dresser. "Go wake up Mommy," he said, setting her down on the bed.

Charlotte squealed and crawled towards the pillows, as Chris picked the coffee up. Hearing the sudden noise, Melanie began to stir under the mountain of blankets.

"Mel?" Chris pulled the blankets down just enough to see her face. "I have coffee… and a baby."

"Hmmmm?" she cracked on eye open. "Wha?"

He set the coffee cup on the table and pulled the blankets down a bit more, "Coffee and a baby," he repeated. "Charlie's here."

Turning her head, Melanie spotted Charlotte crawling on Chris's side of the bed. "Charlie, what are you doing?"

"Ma!"

Lifting her arm up, Melanie carefully pulled the toddler closer and sighed. "Did you eat?"

"She had bananas and cereal," Chris nodded, as Charlotte tried to crawl onto Melanie's chest. "I have a bottle on the dresser with her name on it."

She nodded, "Kay," she sighed, closing her eyes again.

"Drink your coffee," Chris said, as he went to get the bottle. "It's bad enough that you didn't eat dinner last night. "

Melanie grumbled as she sat up slowly in bed, reaching for the cup with one hand. Taking slow sips, Melanie kept her free hand on Charlotte, who took to climbing on her like a jungle gym.

"Here comes Daddy with your bottle," she said, as Chris climbed up onto the bed. "Bottle time!"

Taking the toddler from her, Chris sat Charlotte on his lap and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Here we go," he said, easing the nipple into her mouth. "Eat this and then we'll see about watching cartoons."

As Charlotte slurped the rest of her breakfast down, Melanie drank her coffee quietly with one hand. Her now bruised fingers on her left hand, laid stiff in her lap, the medical tape fraying.

"Did you take a pain pill last night?" Chris asked, as Charlotte grabbed onto her bottle. "You were out cold when I came in to tell you that dinner was ready."

She nodded, "And how's the pain now?" he asked. "Swelling doesn't look like went down at all."

"They hurt, but I'll live," she sighed. "I'll go to the doctor tomorrow, Chris. I'm not going to sit in the ER all day long, especially on Jim's birthday."

"So we'll go tomorrow," he nodded, as Charlotte finished with her bottle. "All done?"

Charlotte smacked her lips together while looking up at him, "Half a bottle," he shrugged, as Melanie took it from him. "What do you think, Mommy? Should we let her watch cartoons?"

Melanie shrugged, "I think we should let Mommy sleep some more," she suggested, setting the cup and bottle on the nightstand. "Because right now she feels like a tsunami is in her belly."

"Uh oh," Chris gasped, looking down at Charlotte. "Should we leave Mommy a bucket?

"Just leave this bathroom free," Melanie sighed, sinking down under the blankets. "Because I have no idea what's going to happen."

Chris winced, "I'll make some toast, " he said, moving Charlotte from his lap and onto the mattress. "You need something in your system, Mel. That's why Len said to wait until you ate something before popping a Vicodin."

"Yeah well…" she mumbled. "Come here, Charlie. Keep me company so Daddy can make toast.

Pulling her close, Melanie pulled the blanket up and covered both herself and Charlotte.

"I'll get that toast ready and some water so that you can rest a bit," he sighed, getting up from the bed. "Just try not to move around too much."

"Aye aye, Captain," she nodded, hugging Charlotte to her chest. "Watch your feet, Ninja baby. One kick to the belly and I'll be puking all over you."


	8. Chapter 8

After breakfast with the birthday boy, Leonard took him out for the afternoon to walk around the city and for lunch. Once they left, Chris went to pick up the cake from the bakery, as Melanie and Jo cleaned up the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"Okay Jo!" Chris helped her up onto the step stool. "You sure you have everything?"

Joanna nodded as she opened the box of cake mix, "Are you sure your oven can hold thirty cupcakes?" she asked, as Chris set a bowl down on the counter.

"If we put the trays in a certain way, " he nodded, as Melanie set Charlotte into the high chair.

"We're going to have so much cake after today," she sighed, moving to the sink.

Chris chuckled, "Are you kidding? Between your brother and Jim, this cake will be gone by tomorrow night," he said.

Melanie wiped her hands on a dishtowel and stepped closer to the duo, as Joanna started putting the batter together. "Easy with the eggs, Jo. You don't want any part of the shells in there now."

As Joanna carefully followed the directions on the back of the box, Melanie went to the refrigerator and started pulling out all the ingredients for the tabbouleh salad that Chris promised to make.

Charlotte babbled from the high chair, smacking her hands against the cheerios that littered the tray. "Baby girl, what are you doing?" Chris asked, moving over to clean up the mess. "We eat the cheerios."

"No!" she shook her head. "Nooo!"

"How about we have some fruit puffs?" he asked, grabbing the container off the counter near the microwave. "Look Charlie! Yummy!"

Melanie snorted as she washed off the tomatoes and scallions in the sink, "I don't think she wants to eat her food, Chris," she shook her head. "I think she's in the destruction mode right now."

Chris sighed, "I don't want her to make it a habit," he ran his fingers through her hair.

"She'll make it a habit because it's what babies do," Melanie said. "Jo used to do this all the time and Len would swear up and down how she would NEVER smear mash potatoes on the walls."

Joanna giggled, "And she did!" Melanie continued, setting the first tomato on the cutting board. "And I remember something with chocolate syrup being smeared all over the bathroom mirror, in that shitty apartment they moved into after… you know."

Chris nodded, "Well, I guess we'll just have to lock all that stuff up," he nodded, looking back at Charlotte. "Right? You're not going to be a messy kid!"

Charlotte screeched and pointed at him, "'nanas!" she babbled. "'nanas! 'nanas!"

"More bananas?" he sighed. "Charlotte, you're going to have a tummy ache later!"

"Just give her half of one," Melanie said, pausing her chopping to help Jo with mixing the batter. "And instead of formula, give her water. I find that if you give her bananas and formula too much, her diaper needs to be changed frequently."

Chris sighed and looked back at Charlotte, "I guess you're getting your bananas, missy," he said, tapping her nose lightly.

"Hurry up and feed her," Melanie said. "We need to get half of this stuff done and into the fridge before my brother and Jim come home!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Chris saluted her, moving to grab a banana out of the fruit bowl, ignoring the scowl she sent his way. "Mommy's making me force feed you now, Charlie. I hope you're happy!"

"Mamamamamamama!"

He snorted, "Okay Charlie," he sighed, cutting the banana in half. "Whatever you say."

….

"I think this was the _best _birthday dinner I've ever had," Jim smirked, leaning back in the chair. "Like ever!"

Melanie smiled as she came to the table with a bottle of wine, "I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said, refilling glasses. "But you still have to help with the dishes."

Jim pouted, "But it's my _birthday," _he whined. "Bones! Tell her it's my birthday!"

"She knows it's your birthday," he nodded, as Jim rested his head against his shoulder. "But it's _her _apartment, therefore, you have to follow her rules."

"Correction, it's _my _apartment," Chris held up his hand, bouncing Charlotte on his knee.

Melanie rolled her eyes, "It's _our _apartment," she corrected him, ignoring the snort that came from her husband. "Though I tell everyone it's mine, because there's no way in hell that you'd be the one with the creative eye that decorated this."

"Do you always hit below the belt?" Jim asked, frowning. "I think that's a McCoy trait, because Bones does the same thing to me."

"That's because half the shit that comes out of your mouth is questionable," Leonard shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder what's in that head of yours."

Melanie caught the flash of hurt in Jim's eyes, which was quickly erased as Joanna came back out after changing into her pajamas. "There you are!" Jim smiled, as she climbed up onto his lap. "For a moment there I thought the pajama monster came out and took you away!"

Joanna giggled, "When are we having cake?" she asked, as Jim kissed her cheek.

"In a little while," Chris said, wiping the drool off Charlotte's chin with a napkin. "Gotta let dinner settle first before eating anything else."

"How about you and Charlie watch a movie?" Melanie suggested. "Let your Daddy and Uncle Chris have a manly chat, while Jim and I talk about boys."

Chris whistled, "Uh ohhh," he shook his head. "I think we're about to be replaced, Len!"

Joanna giggled and shook her head, "Nuh Uhhh!" she said. "Aunt Mellie and Daddy can replace you both! Besides, you're Charlie's Daddy!"

"And what would happen if Bones replaced me?" Jim asked, as Joanna looked up at him.

"I wouldn't be able to get away with murder," she said, smiling innocently at him.

Jim snorted, "That's my girl!" he kissed her forehead, before moving her off his lap. "Go pick out a movie and get settled. Aunt Mellie and I will bring Charlotte to you in a bit."

While Chris went to put the movie on for Joanna, Melanie and Leonard cleared off the table as Jim filled up two wineglasses for himself and Melanie.

"Ready?" she asked, taking the glass from him. "We're going MIA for a while."

Chris nodded as he wiped down the table with a sponge, "Don't get too crazy," he warned, as she came over for a kiss.

"Can't promise you that," she said, squealing as the smack he gave her across the ass. "CHRISTOPHER!"

He shrugged, "Sorry," he went back to cleaning off the table. "Couldn't help myself."

Jim sighed, "If you two are done eyefucking one another, can we please go and talk about our partners behind their backs?" he asked.

Melanie shot Chris a warning look, "Let's go, Jim!' she said, starting for the hall. "I have _loads _of shit to tell you about a certain frisky chef."

….

"So…" Chris settled back in chair. "Any surprises we should know about?"

Leonard frowned, "What are you talkin' about? Surprises?"

Chris nodded, "You know," he nodded, as Leonard frowned deepened. "Oh for god's sake! Are you going to ask Jim to marry you?"

"Did my sister put you up to this?" Leonard snapped, rolling his eyes. "No, I'm not proposing to Jim!"

"First off, your sister didn't put me up to this," Chris shook his head. "I was just simply asking because I figured that since you guys have been together for almost three years, that maybe you two were going to make it official."

Leonard set his glass down on the table, "Well, we ain't ready yet for that."

Chris nodded, "That's all you needed to say, Len," he shook his head. "Jesus."

"Are you and Mel plannin' on havin' another baby?" Leonard asked. "What? You got to ask me if I was proposin' to Jim!"

"I've brought it up to her several times," Chris shrugged.

Leonard sighed, "And? Hell Chris, don't say shit like that and not continue!" he exclaimed.

"She keeps saying it's too early to go again,' he said. "I think she's still freaked out after giving birth on our doorstep, but she claims that she's over it."

"Well, Charlie is still pretty young," Leonard shrugged. "You two have your hands tied between work and taking care of her."

Chris nodded, "I know," he said. "But I'm not getting any younger, Len. I'd like to have one or two more before I hit fifty-five, that way I'll be around to see them all get married hopefully."

"You could always cry and beg," Leonard shrugged. "Please Mel! Let me knock you up again!" he wiped away fake tears. "Or you could always replace the Advil with anti-biotics, that way they interfere with her birth control."

The older man stared at him for a moment, stunned by his advice. "You.." he shook his head. "Oh my god, how are you _not _locked up in a psychiatric center?"

"Still waitin' for my room to be finished," Leonard said, grinning. "Paying all those goddamn taxes, I expect only the best."

….

Melanie shifted on the bed and sighed, "Okay.. spill," she pulled the pillow down under her head. "Something's up and I want to know what it is."

"What makes you say that?" Jim asked, sitting on the other side of the bed. "And what if I don't want to tell you?"

"Jim, you tell me almost everything," she snorted. "Just like I tell you almost everything. We're like two old biddies."

He sighed, "It's Bones," he laid back against the pillows. "Hell, it's always about Bones."

Melanie nodded, "I figured," she shook her head. "What did my idiot brother do now?"

"I think he's going to break up with me when we get back to Seattle," Jim said, looking up at the ceiling.

"What?" she gasped, lifting her head up to look at him. "Wait.. why would Len break up with you, after surprising you with this trip?"

"To soften the blow?" Jim shrugged. "Look, it's beyond my belief or anyone's that we've managed to stay together for almost three years."

Melanie sat up, "So? Just because you survived three years together, doesn't mean you have to break up? What the fuck is going on Jim?"

He sighed; "I just feel like Bones is holding back on his feelings!" he shrugged. "He's so cautious about PDA or holding my fucking hand when we go out. Do you realize how hard it was, trying to get him to hold my hand today? Or to even get a simple "I love you," out of him?"

"Jim, you do realize that you're his first major relationship since Jocelyn, right?" she asked. "And you're probably and only guy he's actually dated, rather than having random sex with. My brother is pretty slow at some things."

"It's not only the lack of affection in public," Jim admitted. "Sometimes he can be so nice and romantic with surprises. Like this surprise trip and things we do when Joanna spends the night with Scotty and Gaila or at a friends house."

Melanie nodded, "But?"

"But it's a rare occurrence," Jim said, looking up at her. "Most of the time, he's this mean bastard who's never happy. And I try so hard to make him happy, Mel. I really try my best to be good for him and to stay out of trouble, but it's like no matter what I do… it doesn't change anything."

She rolled onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. "Have you talked to him about this?" she asked. "I mean, really sit down and tell him everything that you're feeling?"

Jim shrugged, "No," he shook his head. "It's just easier to keep my mouth shut, that way we can get through the day without upsetting Jo."

"That's not good, Jim," Melanie shook her head. "You need to tell him how you feel. Don't be like one of those people, who lets their partner belittle them and makes them feel like shit."

"Do you think he even loves me?" Jim asked. "I mean in the way that Chris loves you?"

"Len loves you, Jim," she nodded. "I'm not trying to make excuses for him, but you also have to understand that he's been hurt real bad in the past. He still carries the scars that Joss left him and it's hard for him to let it go and to let people in."

Jim nodded, "Do you and Chris fight real bad? You know, screaming matches and shit?"

She sighed, "We fight," she nodded. "But it's normal to fight with your husband or boyfriend, Jim. No one's relationship is picture perfect, hon. We all have our flaws."

"I can't imagine you two screaming at each other," Jim said, as he lay back on the bed. "You're like.. Barbie and Ken. Minus the big tits and washboard abs."

"We scream at each other," Melanie laughed. "Sometimes we fight about the stupidest shit and then an hour or two later, we laugh about it. And since Charlie was born, our fights are more centered around things that need to be done around the house or who needs to watch the baby while the other one works or naps."

He looked at her, "But you never belittle each other, right?" he asked. "You never make Chris feel like he's worthless or unimportant?"

Melanie shook her head, "No," she said softly. "I mean sometimes we call each other the foulest names, which would make any old lady drop from a heart attack. But we don't take it that far."

She then frowned, "Jim, does my brother make you feel like you're unimportant?" she asked.

"Sometimes."

"Oh Jimmy," she shook her head, reaching out to take his hand into hers. "You know you're important to him!"

Jim let out a shaky sigh as tears filled his eyes, "I'm just so tired of fighting with him all the time," he shook his head. "I want what you and Chris have, you know? I think we both deserve that."

Melanie scooted over and pulled Jim closer, so that his head rested on her shoulder. "You can have that, Jim," she said. "But you need to talk to him and tell him everything that you've told me."

"Then he'll blame me for ruining our trip," he mumbled. "Because it'll start a big fight and everyone will be miserable."

"It wont," she urged. "If you want, I'll go out there and tell him that you need to talk and that if he starts his bitching, he can go to a hotel."

He sighed, "Jimmy, I know you've had a rough past with people leaving you," she said. "But Len's not one of those people. And if he was, I'd kill him in a heartbeat."

"God, why didn't I fall in love with you?" he asked, hugging her tightly. "You're the nicer one out of the bunch."

She snorted; "Because I don't have a dick?" she shrugged, earning a chuckle from him. "Besides, I like my men older with grey hair. You're cute, Jimmy. But you're not my type."

"Chris says you hog all the blankets anyway," Jim sighed. "I don't like that quality in my bedmates."

"Chris is a goddamn liar," Melanie shook her head.

Jim sighed, "A very sexy liar though," he shrugged. "I hope I look just as good as he does when I'm fifty."

"Oh god, please don't give him any ammo that will increase his ego," she whined. "He's been walking around like he's hot shit, because Charlie's first word was "Pa!" and how she's earned the title of "Daddy's girl."

He shrugged, "Guess you gotta bribe her," he mumbled. "So I should talk to Bones?"

Melanie nodded, "You definitely need to talk to him, Jim. Especially if you want to get married one day and have a family with him."

"If we break up, can I live here?" he asked.

She laughed, "You'll have to ask, Chris. It's _his _apartment, according to him," she sighed. "But I'd let you live here."

"You're a good sister," Jim mumbled.

"I try to be," she sighed, watching as Jim slowly closed his eyes. "And boy do I try."


	9. Chapter 9

"What happened with Len and Jim?" Chris asked, after he put Charlotte down for bed. "You looked so mad when you came into the kitchen."

Melanie set her earrings down on the jewelry dish and sighed, "Jim's been feeling kinda down with how Len treats him," she said. "He thinks that Len's going to break up with him once they get back to Seattle."

"That's crazy," Chris shook his head. "Why the hell would your brother surprise him with this trip, only to break up with him?"

"I don't know," she shook her head, setting her engagement ring into the jewelry box. "But I told my idiot of a brother, that if he didn't reassure Jim that everything was okay between them, that I would slaughter him in the middle of Times Square."

Chris pulled the blankets back on the bed and sighed, "Why are you so violent?" he asked, as they climbed into bed. "I don't understand it."

Melanie pulled the blankets up as she settled back against the pillows, "It's natural," she shrugged, setting her head down on the pillow. "And when it comes to Jim, I feel very… protective over him because of his past."

Knowing very little about the man dating his brother-in-law, Chris only knew the basics about Jim's childhood and early teen years. No father and a mother who abandoned him with an abusive stepfather, as she roamed the world with her work as researcher.

"Can I at least get a shot at inflicting bodily harm if he breaks Jim's heart?" Chris asked, as he turned the lights off.

"Of course," Melanie nodded, as they fell into an exhausted state of silence that came after wrestling a toddler down for bed, while Joanna whined about sleeping on the sofa again.

"Chris?"

He rolled over onto his side, "Yeah?" he whispered, as Melanie blinked at him in the darkness of their bedroom.

"You wouldn't break up with me if I became psychotic bitch, would you?" she asked.

Chris thought about the question for a moment, "Depends on if we're talking about acts of violence here," he said, making her groan. "Mel, you know I'm not leaving you ever."

"So if Ryan Gosling came by and offered to impregnant me with the future golden child of Hollywood and I said yes, you wouldn't be mad?"

"Who the hell is Ryan Gosling and why are you thinking about having _his _baby?" Chris asked, sitting up. "Mel, are these questions coming from the talk you had with Jim?"

She shrugged, "It just got me thinking, is all," she mumbled. "Len and I are just about the same when it comes to our tempers, though he's a real bastard when the anger breaks through."

Chris sighed, "Mel…" he started.

"And it's not just about that.. the anger issues that I'll probably develop once I reach my brothers age," she sighed. "I'm getting _old, _Chris."

He snorted, "And I'm not?" he asked, yelping as she pinched him.

"I'm being serious here!" she hissed. "We both know that things haven't bounced back since Charlotte was born and I'm not the same hot chick you met back when I was twenty- seven."

Chris shifted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, "If you're really questioning my attraction towards you, then you really need to get your head checked out."

Melanie groaned, "Mel, I love you. I love you no matter what happens to the way your body changes as time goes on," he said. "I didn't marry you just for your looks, you know."

"But will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?" she whispered, resting her head against his chest.

"I'll still love you if you gained eighty pounds and wore sweat suits from Wal-Mart," he kissed the top of her head. "Stop worrying about this stuff, Mel. It's going to drive you crazy and then I'll have to lock you up in the loony bin."

She giggled as he tickled her lightly, before dropping a kiss onto her forehead. "Let's get some sleep," he suggested. "If you still feel like you're unsure about all of this, then we can talk about it some more tomorrow. Or when it's just us."

Melanie nodded, "Okay," she yawned.

Pulling the blanket up a bit higher, they both shifted around before finding a comfortable position while keeping themselves wrapped up around each other. Sleep came easy after that, as they both succumbed to their exhaustion from the eventful day.

….

Waking up late the next morning, they were greeted to the sounds of playful chatter and Charlotte babbling as Jim and Leonard played with her.

"Come on," Leonard smiled, holding his arms out as he sat on the floor in the living room. "You know you want to come over to Uncle Len!"

"Nuhh Uhhh," Jim shook his head. "Come on, Charlie! Come to Uncle Jim."

Chris stood in the entryway of the living room and watched the scene before him, before breaking the silence. "What the hell are you two doing?" he asked, as both men turned to look at him.

Charlotte squealed and pointed at him, "Pa!" she started towards him on wobbly legs, to which Jim quickly crawled after her.

"Easy! Easy!" Jim cried, as she moved forward. "Dammit- Chris! Can you like meet her half way?!"

Chuckling, he stepped forward and quickly scooped the toddler up into his arms and smothered her face with kisses. "Good morning, sweetheart!" he cooed, as she giggled. "Are we being a good girl?"

"Good as in leaving the most foulest diaper for us to change?" Jim scowled, as Charlotte patted her father's face with her tiny hands. "No one will ever break into your apartment because they'll be gassed out by her shitty diapers."

Joanna snorted from behind the IPad, as she lounged on the couch. "Thanks, Jim," Chris rolled his eyes. "So, I take it your talk went well last night?"

Leonard blushed as Jim grinned, "Oh.. it went _perfectly _well."

"I don't want to know the details," Chris shook his head, as he started towards the kitchen. "You can gossip about it with my wife."

"Awww, but don't you want to know the things Bones here whispered into my ear?" Jim asked, grinning. "It was very colorf-"

Leonard wrapped his hand around Jim's mouth, "Say anymore and I'll put Charlie's diaper in your bag."

Chris snorted, "Come on, Charlie," he kissed her cheek. "Let's go see what Mommy's doing in the kitchen."

…..

The rest of the week went by quickly, much to Melanie's displeasure, as she tried to enjoy the final days of Jim and Leonard's visit. After dropping them off at the airport Sunday afternoon, after around of hugs and kisses, they returned to a quieter apartment, a pile of laundry and a bare refrigerator.

"Wanna run down to the store?" Chris asked, as Melanie set Charlotte down into the playpen. "We're out of nearly everything."

Melanie shrugged, "If you want," she said, as Charlotte crawled around in the pen. "Do you want to bring the stroller?"

Chris shook his head, "I'll carry her down and we'll put her in the cart," he said. "Give me a few minutes to write up a list and then we can go."

Once the list was written out and their coats were zipped up, they took the fifteen minute walk down to the local market which was bursting with customers. Melanie grabbed a shopping cart and pulled it towards Chris and Charlotte, before setting the reusable tote bags and her purse down in the wagon.

"This should be fun," she grumbled, as Chris strapped Charlotte into the seat of the cart. " If anyone runs over my feet today, they're getting smashed with a can."

"Easy there," Chris warned, as they started into the store. "Not in front of the baby."

Charlotte looked around at her surroundings, her eyes wide and mouth parted, as she pointed to various objects. "Oh! Oh!" she grunted, kicking her feet out.

"Those are grapes, Charlie," Chris said, as Melanie went to search for produce items. "You don't like grapes."

Pushing the cart to follow Melanie, Chris kept his eyes on Charlotte while nodding to the items that Melanie held up. Soon, the wagon was filled with bags of fresh fruits and vegetables and cartons of berries.

" 'Nanas!" Charlotte screeched, pointing to the display of bananas. "'Nanas! 'Nanas!"

"You, my sweet baby, are becoming a banana queen," Chris chuckled as he checked for a bunch that wasn't fully ripened. "How about we get two bunches today?"

Charlotte wiggled in the seat, "Pa, Pa!"

"Are we looking at bananas?" Melanie asked, coming up with a bag of lettuce in on hand and a package of carrot sticks in the other. "I think we should invest in banana stocks."

"I'll buy her a banana tree," Chris laughed, as he set the bananas into the wagon. "Here we go," he set one bunch next to Charlotte. "Try not to eat them all at once."

Melanie shook her head, "Okay, what else is on your list?" she asked, taking the paper from the wagon. "Hmmmm food for us, food for the baby and food for the cats."

Chris shrugged, "Same list as all the other times," he said. "I forgot to check how much formula we had left."

"I'll get that in the other store," she shook her head. "This place overcharges for a small canister."

"Mamaaaaaa!" Charlotte grunted.

Melanie reached out and brushed a stray curl away from her eyes, "What's the matter?" she cooed, as Charlotte babbled. "Are you hungry? Mommy will get you're baby cookies and we'll have one."

"My, my," Chris shook his head, as they started out of the produce department. "This kid is spoiled."

"Says the man who's buying her _two _bunches of bananas," she shot back, as Charlotte giggled.

….

A half an hour later, Chris and Melanie waited on line to pay for their groceries, fighting through the crowds of the busy Sunday afternoon.

"Charlie, stop touching everything," Melanie said, as the toddler grabbed at the box of pasta on the belt. "Charlotte Anne!"

Chris gently removed Charlotte's hand from the box and leaned forward to kiss her fingers. "You can't eat the pasta like that," he said, as Charlotte began to whimper. "Here, have another cookie."

She looked at the cookie in his hand as her face crumpled up and tears started to well in her eyes, "No Charlie, don't cry."

Melanie handed her keys over to the cashier, who scanned their store card, and took them back with a smile. "Here we go baby," she jingled the keys. "Hold Mommy's keys."

Immediately, Charlotte went from potential melt down to pure joy, taking hold of the keys. Then she proceeded to bang them against the handlebar of the shopping cart, earning a few disgruntled looks from other shoppers.

"Keep doing it, Charlie," Chris whispered, taking pleasure that his daughter was annoying the others. "You're going to be a good musician when you're older."

As the bagger bagged the food, Melanie took the bags and set them into the wagon, before swiping her credit card. "Charlie, you need to get a job," she whistled, eyeing the screen.

The cashier, an older woman, smiled at Charlotte. "Hi sweetheart," she waved to her. "She's absolutely adorable," she said to Melanie. "Those curls!"

Melanie smiled, "Thank you," she said, signing the credit slip. "Not sure which side of the family she got those from, but she is a hundred percent like my husband."

"That's not true," Chris snorted, as Charlotte reached up for him. "Right? You tell her that's not true."

"Uhhhh! Pa!" she cried, kicking her feet out.

Pulling her hat out of his coat pocket, Chris pulled it over the unruly curls and started pushing the cart. "Let's get you home," he said, as Melanie started towards the exit.


	10. Chapter 10

Winter turned into Spring, as the months flew by, bringing the fast-pace of teaching and motherhood along with it. As the semester began to wind down, with Spring Break just around the corner, Melanie was counting down the days to have the entire week off.

"I just want to sit on my ass all day and play with Charlotte," she whined to Rosette. "Chris took off from work the whole week, just so we can spend time together."

"You two are so cute, it makes me want to die," Rosette smirked. "Thinkin' about using that week to make another baby?"

Melanie snorted, "I just lost the last five pounds from thirty that I gained," she shook her head. "No babies for a while."

Rosette pouted as she stirred creamer in her coffee, "I guess I'll have to have one then," she shook her head.

"Y-Oh my god! Did Rick say yes to having a baby?" Melanie gasped.

"He said we could try it," Rosette corrected her, but smiling widely. "So I stopped taking my pills on Sunday and we're going to see what happens."

Melanie laughed, "Oh my god! That's amazing!" she squealed, hugging her co-worker. "Just don't panic if nothing happens for the first few months! The best part about getting pregnant is all the sex you get to have."

"Oh I know," Rosette snorted, as they started towards the elevator bank. "Rick is too excited about that! I'm sure Chris will be the same way, when you finally have another one."

"Chris is like that all the time," Melanie shook her head, as they stepped into the elevator car. "I could just give him the look and he'll have Charlotte in her crib and the lights down low in the bedroom before I can even take my pants off."

…

"Okay! Okay!" Melanie shouted over the commotion. "Guys! Hello!"

The chatter began to die down, as the students turned their attention to Melanie. "Ahh, lovely!" she smiled at them. "I know your vacation is just around the corner! But I am handing out the assignment for your final papers today!"

A collective groan filled the room as Lucy stood up with a stack of papers. "Really Professor?" one student groaned.

"Sadly yes," Melanie nodded. "But once you actually read the assignment, you'll realize how easy this project is and you'll be praising my generosity and actually give me some nice reviews on Rate My Professor."

Once the papers were handed out, Melanie stood at the bottom of the steps and watched as her students read. "Well?" she finally spoke out, as a few students looked up at her. "Pretty easy, huh?"

"So like.. we can write about any shipwreck we've studied and do whatever we want?" a student in the front row asked.

Melanie nodded, "This is a creative project guys," she staretd moving around the front of the room. "Using the shipwrecks we've studied so far and will study once we return from the break, I want you to decide what you want to write about. If you're not history majors, you can try to connect a shipwreck to your major."

A few students frowned, "Take Women's Studies for instance! Coralynn, I know that's your minor! You could do a paper or a powerpoint on the "women and children" protocol that was in place for Titanic!"

Coralynn nodded with a smile, grabbing her pen to write down some ideas in her notebook. "You guys can do a project on how engineering has changed from the early 1900's to now or write the psychological effects that the survivors experienced. Anything you want!"

"This is fucking brilliant!" one kid from the back yelled out. "Yo, you're totally getting a happy face thing on that website, Miss!"

Melanie snorted, "Thank you!" she nodded. "Now you have all spring break to really think of an idea! I want you all to email me your ideas that way I can make sure you're going to stay on track. If you have questions, ask! I don't know if it's a type of phobia that you guys have about coming to the professor for help, but I really would LOVE to have my inbox filled with questions from you guys."

A few students nodded, "So, I want you guys to go home today and start brainstorming! Use the books and the pdf's! Just because the school will be closed for the week, doesn't mean the public library will! Go and explore! I will see you all after break and please, try not to get yourselves killed!"

….

Chris watched as Melanie set the pile of dirty laundry into the basket, before plopping down on the bed. "I take it your day went well."

"I am free!" she squealed, rolling around on the bed. "Free from early morning alarm clocks and sitting in my office! FREE! FREE! FREE!"

He snorted, "Oh god, are you going to be like this all week?" he asked, as she laid out across the bed.

"So what?" she scoffed. "I can finally have the freedom to sleep in, play with my kid and have sex with my husband at whatever time I want."

"Ohh, so now we can have sex at whatever time _you _want?" he asked, smirking.

Melanie looked up at him, "Wanna do it now?" she asked. "Charlie's asleep and I don't have anything to do at the moment."

Chris frowned and looked down at his watch, "Oh look at that!" he said, smiling. "I'm free too!"

"So how should we do this?" Melanie asked, as he moved over her. "Should we be quiet as possible or move it into the shower?"

"How about I put you face down and have my way with you?" he suggested, moving his hands up her shirt. "You make too much noise and we don't want the baby to wake up."

She pouted, "You don't want to look at this beautiful face?" she asked, arching up towards him.

Straddling her thighs, Chris sat up and looked down at her. "I do," he nodded. "But I don't want Charlotte waking up halfway through it, because you can't control your yowling."

"I don't yowl!" she gasped, as he leaned forward to kiss her neck.

"Oh you yowl," he smirked against her flushed skin. "And you grunt like a man sometimes, too."

Melanie tried to knee him, only to hit his hip instead. "Here I am offering sex and you're making fun of me," she whined. "If you don't start getting to work, I'll lock myself in the bathroom and do it myself."

"Oh no you wont!" he pinned her down by the shoulders. "I'm going to take my time, working you up and when you're so close to the edge I'll back off and do it again and again."

"And I'll fucking push you off this bed and make you sleep in the guest room," she groaned, as his lips moved down to her belly. "Chrisssss… stop teasing!"

He snorted, "Patience," he ordered. "Charlotte will be out for a while, so we have plenty of time."

…..

"Okay Charlie," Melanie said, as she set the strolled down on the sidewalk. "Today's the first sunny day without snow on the ground!"

Setting the toddler into the stroller, Melanie buckled her in and fixed the tiny jacket that she wore. "We're going to get Daddy an anniversary AND birthday present!"

Pushing the stroller away from the front steps of the apartment building, Melanie placed her cellphone in the cut holder near the handle bar and pushed the top down to block the sun out of Charlotte's eyes.

Taking the short walk to the local bookshop, Melanie was relieved to find it partially vacant on the early Friday morning.

"What should we get Daddy?" she asked Charlotte, pushing the stroller towards the new releases section. "Daddy doesn't like romance books," she muttered, eyeing the newest fixation of Sub/Dom role-playing that women her age were drooling over.

After an hour and a half of browsing, Melanie ended up picking out a few picture books and a new book on Microbial Ecology of the ocean.

"Oh Charlie," she sighed, setting the books down on the counter. "Shopping for Daddy is harder than I thought."

Once the books were paid for and packed up, Melanie thanked the shop owner and pushed the stroller out onto the sidewalk. Moving out of the way, Melanie shoved the bag into the basket of the stroller and quickly checked on Charlotte before getting up to grab her phone. Dialing the familiar number, Melanie set the phone against her ear and pushed the stroller with one hand, waiting for the caller to pick up.

"Helllllooooooo?"

"Jim? It's Mel," she said, waiting at the corner for the light to change.

"Mellie!" Jim cried. "How lovely of you to call me!"

She snorted, "Look, I need some advice!"

"Advice?" Jim gasped. "From Moi?!"

Melanie rolled her eyes, "Yes! I'm out with Charlotte and we're trying to find an anniversary/birthday present for Chris," she said, while crossing the street. "The only thing is, we're at a loss of what to get him!"

"Ummm, sex?" Jim stated. "I mean really Mel, the man probably wants you to dress up in some slutty lingerie set, cover you up in body oil and fuck you til you can't even recite your address."

"So is giving Chris a diaper filled with shit from Charlie the equivalence of that?" she asked, ignoring the dirty look that a group of elderly women gave her. "Jim! I'm serious here! Christmas was easy because we picked out our present together and bought it before the holiday!"

Jim snorted, "Yes, because a new television is totally what you wanted," he said.

"I did want it!" she gasped. "Seriously! Watching all my documentaries and boxed sets of Gilmore Girls on that thing is AMAZING!"

"Who's on the phone?"

Jim chuckled, "Your sister is having a hard time buying something for the hubby," he said, before turning his attention back to Mel. "Why not ask him what he wants?"

Melanie scoffed, "He already told me not to get him anything!" she mumbled. "He's such a pain in the ass!"

"Mel?"

"Lennyy!" she cried. "Oh thank god! Please! Tell me what I should buy Chris as an anniversary/birthday present!"

Her brother sighed, "I think you should just get him a card and have a nice quiet night alone with him," he suggested. "Give Charlie over to Rich and Alice for the night!"

"But that's so boring!" she whined. "Come on!"

"Why not cook a meal for him!" Jim suggested. "You could send him out with Richard for the day, hand Charlie over to Alice and cook!"

Leonard snorted, "She can't cook!" he exclaimed. "Last time she attempted to make dinner, the poor man had food poisoning for a week!"

"You're an asshole," she snapped into the phone. "Neither of you are any help! I don't even know why I called!"

Before either could answer, Melanie hung up and tossed the phone back into the cup holder and sighed. "Dammit," she cursed, running her fingers through her hair. "Dammit!"


	11. Chapter 11

On the eve of their anniversary, Melanie made plans for Alice to come by early in the morning to collect Charlotte for the entire day.

"I'll put enough diapers and formula in her bag so that you don't have to go out!" Melanie said, as she moved back and forth from the closet. "God, I can't even remember what else I should pack! It's been a while since we took Charlotte anywhere far from home."

Alice laughed on the other end of the phone, "We have plenty of stuff here from the last time Charlie spent the night with us," she said. "I'll get a few jars of baby food when I do the shopping later."

"Don't forget bananas! Charlie always has a banana for breakfast and one after dinner," Melanie shoved a pair of pajamas into the bag.

"Bananas," Alice mumbled, scribbling on a notepad. "Okay! Bananas and baby food! I'll call you later tonight to get he final rundown for tomorrow morning."

Melanie sighed, "Sounds good!" she said, as the front door opened. "Uh oh, they're back from the park."

Alice giggled, "I'll call you later!" she promised. "Make sure you tell him tonight though!"

"I will! Talk to you soon!" Melanie rushed into the phone, before hanging up.

Tucking the small duffle bag under the changing table, Melanie made her way out of the room and down the hall. "There you are!" she beamed, as Chris set the stroller against the wall. "How was the park?"

Charlotte babbled, "We had a great time," Chris said, accepting a kiss from Melanie. "We watched the ducks in the pond and sat under a tree for a while."

"You got a little color," she noted with a smile. "And you Miss Charlotte, you look like you had a good time with your food."

"We stopped for ice cream before taking a breather under the tree," he smiled sheepishly. "Not only does she like bananas, but she also loves chocolate banana ice cream."

"Mamammama!" Charlotte squealed, holding her hands out for her.

Melanie took her into her arms and kissed her ice cream stained cheek, "I guess it's bath time for you," she sighed, as the toddler pulled at her shirt. "Then a nap, so Mommy can talk to Daddy."

"Uh oh," Chris sighed. "What did you do now?"

"I did nothing," she shook her head. "But I have something to discuss with you, which will require your full attention and no distractions from the princess."

Chris looked uncertain of her answer, as she unbuckled Charlotte's sandals. "I don't believe you," he finally said, taking the shoes from her. "What did you buy this time? Last time you waited until I got the credit card bill to see the four hundred dollar work bag you just _had_ to have."

Melanie scowled, "That was the sale price!" she exclaimed. "And I'm using it, aren't I?"

Before Chris could respond, Charlotte began to whimper which brought tears as she began to cry.

"Okay, okay," Melanie whispered, bouncing her lightly in her arms. "Let's go give you a bath and put you down for a nap."

She started down the hall before glancing back at Chris, "Don't get too comfortable," she warned. "I still have to talk to you."

….

"I can't believe you actually did a crash course in cooking from Richard," Chris shook his head, as Melanie collected the plates. "And here I thought you were going out for coffee with your co-workers."

She smiled, "I wanted to make it perfect," she sighed. "I didn't want a repeat of last time and ruin our anniversary with you being sick."

He chuckled, "Well my dear, you've outdone yourself."

"Well it was either this and sex or buying some ridiculous present," Melanie shrugged.

"This was better," he nodded, as she grabbed the bottle of wine off the counter. "And I still can't believe you got Rich and Alice to take Charlotte for the entire day."

Pouring out the wine in both their glasses, Melanie eased her way onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Our anniversary, as much as I love our daughter, is about us. One whole day to celebrate us and surviving another year of being married, to which I want you all to myself."

"Two years," he shook his head. "How the hell did we manage that?"

"I like to think it's because I'm so witty and charming," she beamed, earning a snort from him. "And that I'm a fantastic sex partner because all the other people you may've slept with before meeting me were just _awful!" _

Chris sighed, "But seriously," he smiled. "Two years. They went really fast."

"Too fast if you ask me," Melanie sighed. "Though sometimes it feels like we've been married for ten years."

"For ten years we'll have to do something big," Chris said, before leaning in to kiss her. "Maybe I'll take you away for a few days and leave the kids with Len and Jim."

Melanie smiled, "Where would you take me?" she asked, shifting gently on his lap. "It has to be a good place to go to for ten years of marriage."

"Guess you'll have to wait and see," he grinned. "Now, I have a present for you."

"You do?" she asked, as his hands moved up her newly flat belly. "God I hope it's not skimpy underwear!"

He snorted, "No it's not," he shook his head. "You really think I'd go and buy you skimpy underwear for our anniversary?"

Melanie sighed, "Chris, we both know what happens when you put skimpy underthings on me," she shook her head. "How do you think I got pregnant in the first place? Besides all the alcohol we consumed?"

"If I remember correctly," Chris started, as he sat up in the chair. "You stopped taking your birth control because it made you sick. The alcohol just added to the heat of the moment."

Standing up, Melanie watched as Chris moved across the kitchen to the drawers near the counter with their toaster and microwave. "Now, I had this hidden in here for the last two weeks," he said, pulling out a tiny wrapped up box. "I'm pretty surprised that you didn't find it."

"That's the junk drawer," she shrugged. "Why would I need to go in there, when most of that shit is yours?"

Chris rolled his eyes and started back towards her, "Like I was saying, I had this in the drawer for the last two weeks and I think it's about time you finally opened it."

Melanie looked at the box in his hand, then back up at him. "Usually this is when you take the box and unwrap it," Chris said. "Then you tell me how amazing I am and how I shouldn't have bought it for you and blah, blah, blah."

She giggled and took the box from him, "You keep talking like that and you wont get your other surprise," she shook her head.

"If we're talking about sex, I already know we're having it because it's mandatory to have sex on your anniversary," he said, looking smug.

Rolling her eyes Melanie leaned against the table and slowly pulled away the wrapping paper to reveal a flat, square shaped box. "Now, Charlie was aiming towards something really flashy and I had to tell her that flashy wasn't your style."

Opening the box, Melanie let out a gasp as she reached up to cover her mouth. "Christopher!" she exclaimed, shaking her head.

"Do you like it?" he asked, watching as she took the necklace out of the box.

"It's so pretty," she gasped, holding the necklace up. "You didn't have to buy something so pretty for me."

He chuckled, "You're my wife," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Therefore I want to buy you pretty things."

Melanie shook her head, "You want to try it on?" he asked.

Handing over the necklace, Chris unclasped the chain and gently laid it against her throat, before hooking it closed. He then turned her around slowly and fixed the heart shaped pendent, encrusted with tiny pink diamonds, and smiled. "Looks good on you," he nodded.

"I can only imagine what Charlie wanted to pick out," she giggled. "How did you ever get her to change her mind?"

Chris sighed as she wrapped both arms around him, "Well, I promised to buy her _three _bunches of bananas the next time we go shopping."

"Three!" she cried, throwing her head back. "Our baby is going to turn into a banana at this rate."

"Then she'll become the new face of banana's and her college tuition will be paid in full by the time she's seventeen," he shrugged. "Win-win on both sides."

Melanie giggled and shook her head, "Well, how about we have a win-win situation here and move on to the next activity for the evening?"

…..

"My god! Aren't you two a sight for sore eyes!" was the first thing Richard said, as the couple stood outside their apartment door. "I take it you guys had a good night?"

Melanie yawned widely in response, "Please tell me you have coffee," Chris mumbled, as Richard stepped out of the way to let them in.

"Coffee is brewing," Richard nodded.

"Where's Charlie?" Melanie asked, running her fingers through her hair. "It's awfully quiet in here and usually she's up making a racket at this hour."

Alice made her way down the hall and smiled at them, "Good morning!" she beamed, taking note of their appearances. "I guess you two had fun last night, huh?"

"Too much fun," Chris nodded, as he took a seat at the kitchen table. "I think our ages are finally catching up to us."

"Hmmm, welcome to our world," Alice sighed. "McKayla's with Charlie getting her dressed."

Melanie gasped, "I thought McKayla was in Italy for school?" she asked. "What is she doing home?"

Richard sighed, "She got hurt while hiking out in the countryside," he said, pouring out the coffee into the glasses. "She has to have surgery on her knee next week and decided to come home to have the procedure."

"Oh man," Chris shook his head, as the bedroom door down the hall opened. "That's too bad. What is she going to do now for the semester?"

Melanie turned and watched as McKayla hobbled down the hallway with Charlotte in her arms. "Your Mommy and Daddy sure have their work cut out for them," she told the little girl.

"Charlie girl!" Melanie cooed, as the toddler turned her head to look at her. "Is that my Charlie girl?"

"Mamammaa!" Charlotte immediately began to screech, wiggling in McKayla's arms.

Standing up from the table, Melanie met the young girl halfway and took Charlotte into her arms. "Hello baby girl!" she cooed, kissing her cheeks. "Did you have fun with Aunt Alice and Uncle Richard? Where you good for them and for McKayla?"

Charlotte babbled as she reached up to cover Melanie's mouth with her hand. "Wanna see Daddy?" Melanie asked, lightly pulling her hand away. "Where's Daddy?"

"Pa! Pa!"

"Uh ohhh," Melanie gasped, as she started towards the kitchen table. "Is Daddy over… here?" she turned so that Charlotte could look at the living room.

Charlotte began to whine, kicking her legs out as Melanie shifted her in her arms. "What about…. Over there?" she asked, turning her to face the front door.

"Pa!" Charlotte whined.

"No he's not there either," Melanie frowned, while Chris shook his head with amusement. "How about over…. Here! There he is! What's he doing over here?"

As soon as Charlotte spotted her father, she began to wiggle harder in Melanie's arms, reaching out for him. "Charlie girl!" Chris cried out in shock. "What happened to you! You've gotten bigger!"

Carefully shifting her from her arms to Chris's, Melanie went to help McKayla to the table, before taking her seat. "Did you have fun?" Chris asked, as Charlotte pulled at his shirt. "You look like you had fun."

"How was she?" Melanie asked, as a cup of coffee was placed in front of her.

"She ate most of her dinner," Alice said, as she took a seat across from Chris. "Then I gave her a bath and we both kept McKayla some company in her room and watched some cartoons."

McKayla nodded, "They left as soon as my pain pill kicked in," she sighed. "She's good company though."

Chris snorted as Alice continued, "Rich and I read her one of those picture books you packed up and then we put her down for bed. Slept throughout the night and woke up ten minutes before you two arrived. "

"Such a good baby," Chris said, kissing her cheek. "Are you ready for breakfast?"

"What do we want for breakfast, Charlie?" Melanie asked, as she stood up from the table. "Do we want 'nanas?"

Charlotte ignored her as she babbled to Chris, while wiggling on his lap. "Do you want your 'nanas?" he asked, smoothing her hair away from her eyes. "You feel a little warm."

Melanie frowned and made her way over to them, reaching out to place her hand on Charlie's forehead. "She does," she frowned, gently touching her cheeks. "I'll have to take her temperature when we get home."

Alice stood from her chair and started towards the counter, "I'll cut up a banana for her," she said. "If you guys are hungry we have plenty of food here. You're more than welcome to raid our fridge."

"Thanks Alice," Chris nodded. "But I think we'll feed her and then get out of your hair."

McKayla yawned and set her head down on the table, "And that one looks like she could use the extra few hours of sleep," he continued, nodding to the young woman.

At that moment, Charlotte chose to sneeze all over herself and Chris' hand. "Ugh," he grumbled, reaching for a napkin. "I think we should stop at the store and get some medicine for you. Mommy's gonna have to call the doctor for you."

"Oh joy," Melanie sighed. "This is going to be fun."


	12. Chapter 12

By the middle of the week, Charlotte went from being slightly sick to full blown sick, driving both of her parents to the end of their wits. Endless nights of sitting up with the toddler, while trying to enjoy the remainder of Melanie's time off from work were proving to be difficult.

"Just try to sleep, Charlie!" Melanie begged, as she moved back and forth down the hallway. "There's nothing else Mommy can do for you at this point."

Charlotte continued to wail against her shoulder, her hands bunched up into fists. Up for sixteen hours straight, Charlotte showed no sign of calling it quits to let her parents relax. The day after brining her home from the Barnett's apartment, Charlotte woke up with a runny nose and a bad cough, which caused Chris to panic. One trip to the pediatrician and Charlotte was diagnosed with a minor cold.

"Charlie, Charlie!" Melanie shifted the toddler in her arms. "Come on baby! You're going to make yourself sicker if you keep crying like this."

Just then, the front door opened and Melanie sighed in relief as Chris stepped into the apartment. "Did you find anything?" she asked, as he shut the door behind him.

"The pharmacist suggested a humidifier and Vicks," he sighed, setting the bags down on the couch. "Here, let me take her."

Carefully, Melanie switched Charlotte from her arms to his and moved to the bags on the couch. "Let's go take your temperature again," he said, moving her into the nursery. "Then we'll give you a warm bath and try for a nap."

…..

Two hours and one warm bath later, Charlotte was dozing off as she rested against Melanie's chest. Sitting in the rocking chair, she watched as Chris moved around the nursery moving things around to place the humidifier a bit closer to the crib.

"If she's not better by Monday, I'm taking her back to the doctor for another checkup," she whispered. "Preferably a different one because this guy was a total quack."

"Any doctor would probably tell us the same thing that guy did," he shook his head. "But this seems to be working, along with the Vicks and the hot bath."

Peering down at Charlie, Melanie gently rubbed her back, while rocking the chair back and forth. "As long as she sleeps for a few hours…" she sighed.

Once the humidifier was placed near the crib, Chris went to work on cleaning out the crib of it's toys and sheets, replacing them with new ones and elevating the mattress with a small pillow.

"Ready to put her down?" he asked, turning to his wife. "You can't take a nap in the chair with her, Mel."

Nodding, Melanie slowly stood up and walked over to the crib. "Here we go," she whispered, setting Charlotte down on the freshly laundered sheets. Once she was tucked in, Chris set her Mickey Mouse doll against the railing that faced the wall.

"I put the baby monitor on in here and I'll check the other one in the kitchen," he said, watching as Charlotte slept. "That way we can hear her when she wakes up."

Taking one last look into the crib, they quietly left the room and closed the door halfway.

"God, I'm so tired!" Melanie groaned, rubbing her hands across her face. "I feel like I haven't slept more than two hours since bringing her home the other day!"

"Why don't you go take a shower and lay down for a while?" Chris suggested. "I'll throw the bedding in the wash and see what we have for dinner."

Melanie sighed, "What about you?" she asked. "You haven't slept much either, Chris. You don't want to end up getting sick either."

"Mel, I'll be fine," he shook his head. "Just go take a shower and lay down in the bedroom. Put the television on if you don't want to sleep."

"Just put batteries in the extra monitor and come with me," she begged. "Fuck the laundry and dinner can wait until Charlie wakes up from her nap."

Chris groaned as Mel tugged on his hand, "I'm not kidding, Christopher," she shook her head. "Get the monitor and let's go! It's hard enough dealing with one sick baby! I cannot deal with two!"

"Okay! Okay!" he snapped, moving towards the bookcase near the wall. "Jesus Christ, Mel!"

"Don't even think about starting an argument!" she warned. "I've been up for sixteen hours straight, going out of my goddamn mind! I am this close, _this _close to screaming!"

Taking one look at her; the bedraggled clothes to the bags under her eyes, Chris immediately felt bad for snapping at her. Between the lack of sleep and the moments of panic, they were both run down and unprepared for Charlotte's first cold. Moving across the room, Chris took her by the hand and led her down the hall to their bedroom.

"Take a shower and get into bed," he ordered, setting the baby monitor down on the nightstand. "I'll fix up the bed."

Without questioning him, Melanie disappeared into the bathroom , leaving him to unravel the sheets and comforter that hung off the edge of the bed. When she stepped out ten minutes later, her hair damp and a towel wrapped around her, the bed was made as neat as possible.

"Is she still sleeping?" Melanie asked, making her way over to the dresser.

Chris nodded as she pulled on a pair of panties, "She's out cold," he said.

Once she was partially dressed for a nap, Melanie ran the towel through her hair again, before tossing it into the hamper before pulling it up into a high bun. Sinking under the blankets, Melanie settled her head down on the pillow, while Chris sat up on his side of the bed.

"I'll put the television on real low," he said, grabbing the remote off the nightstand. "That way one of us can hear her when she wakes up."

"Sounds good," she mumbled, as her eyes began to drift shut. "If I'm asleep when she wakes up then wake me."

Chris nodded and watched as she fell asleep, before settling down for a possible nap as well. Any rest that they could get, before Charlotte woke again for their undivided attention, would be needed greatly.

…..

By the weekend Charlotte was nearly back to her usual self, despite the runny nose and cough. Deciding to enjoy the last three days of Spring Break, Melanie managed to do some spring-cleaning while Charlotte napped and when Chris went to the store to pick up groceries. The idea of going back to work filled her with dread, even though the semester had six weeks left before letting out for the summer. Having the week off spoiled her, even though the last half was a bust and left her exhausted and moody.

"Okay Charlie," Melanie sighed, as she scooped the toddler out of the playpen. "Let's go lay down for a while on the sofa and wait for Daddy to come home from the store."

Just as she made her way to the sofa, her cell phone began to ring from its spot on the table. With a sigh, Melanie took a quick detour to the kitchen and grabbed the phone, before turning back towards the living room.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Lisa from Doctor Kaui's office," the woman on the other end said. "Is this Melanie Pike?"

Shifting Charlotte in her arms, Melanie held the phone up to her ear as she sat down on the sofa. "This is Melanie," she said, as Charlotte babbled.

""Just calling to let you know that our records show that you're due for your annual soon," she said, tapping away at the keys of her keyboard. "We haven't seen you in a while!"

Setting Charlotte down on her lap, Melanie sighed. "I know," she shook her head. "I've been meaning to call and make an appointment, but I've been really busy between work and taking care of my daughter."

Lisa chuckled, "That's understandable," she said. "Doctor Kaui wanted me to call you to let you know that your due for your physical exam as well as some blood work, so she can prescribe your next six months of pills.

"Mama Mama!" Charlotte whined, reaching for the phone. "'Ones!"

"Shh, it's not Uncle Leo," she said to the toddler, before turning her attention back to her call. "Sorry about that."

"That's quite alright," Lisa said. "How about you call us back when you're ready to come in? Preferably a two weeks before your last pack runs out, that way we can get the blood work in and the results back quickly."

Melanie nodded, "I'll make sure to call as soon as possible," she said. "Thank you for calling though to remind me! I honestly would've forgotten and Charlie here would be a big sister by the beginning of next year!"

"Well, let's get you in as soon as possible!" Lisa said, laughing. "Talk to you soon!"

Hanging up, Melanie looked down at Charlotte, who grabbed for the phone. "Mommy's gotta go to the doctor soon," she sighed, as she yanked the cell phone from her hand.

Charlotte began to gnaw on the corner of the phone, drooling while doing so, as she looked up at her mother. "I'm so glad you're getting better," Melanie sighed. "Mommy's been so tired."

The front door opened as Chris stepped in, "I'm home!" he shouted out, closing the door behind him.

"PA!" Charlotte squealed, dropping the phone from her grasp. "Mama Mama!"

Helping her up so that she was standing on her thighs, Charlotte lifted her arms up towards Chris as he set the grocery bags onto the kitchen table.

"Charlie girl!" he exclaimed, making his way over to the couch. "Look at you! You're nose is running."

Grabbing a tissue out of the box on the side table, Chris gently wiped her nose before leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Daddy got your bananas and your baby food," he said, moving around the sofa to sit down next to his wife. "And he also got chocolate for Mommy."

"Hmmmm, you're the best," she beamed, before kissing him. "Doctor Kaui's office just called."

"Uh oh," he shook his head. "How late are you for your visit?"

Melanie shook her head, "I still have this pack and one more to go through, before going in to renew my prescription," she said. "I'll call them on Tuesday after lecture to make an appointment."

Charlotte managed to dive into Chris's lap, squealing as Chris grunted in pain. "Ow," he gasped, as he lifted Charlotte up into a standing position. "That hurt!"

"Pa!" she squealed, grabbing at his face.

Both cats jumped onto the coffee table, watching them as they sat on the sofa. Callie meowed and jumped onto the couch, moving up the arm before settling down on the back of the sofa.

"Meeeee! Meeeee!" Charlotte pointed to her.

"Is that a kitty?" Chris asked, as Callie meowed again. "What's that noise she's making?"

"Meeeee!"

Melanie snickered as she stood up from the sofa, "I'm gonna put the food away and see about dinner," she said.

"I'll put this one in the playpen and put a movie on for her," he said, wiggling Charlotte as she giggled. "Then I'll come in and help you."

…

Rosette knocked on the open door twice, before stepping into Melanie's office with a smile.

"My god," she shook her head, taking a seat in the chair opposite of her. "You look like hell!"

Melanie groaned, "Charlie was SO fussy last night," she yawned, reaching for her cup of now cold coffee. "I don't think either of us went to be til five thirty before the alarm went off at seven."

Rosette winced, "Is she still sick?"

"No," Melanie sighed, sitting back in her chair. "Just fussy."

"What's with the post-it notes?" the woman asked, eyeing the various neon color papers that were scattered all over the desk. She plucked a green one up and read the scribbled print out loud. "Who's Doctor Kaui?"

Melanie yawned, "My gynecologist and former OB, who was supposed to deliver Charlotte."

Rosette gasped, "Are you pregnant?" she asked.

"No," Melanie shook her head. "I just called to make an appointment for my checkup in June," she said, grabbing her phone off the pile of papers to put the appointment in. "No babies."

She pouted, "And speaking of babies," Melanie set her phone down. 'How's it going with the baby making?"

"Well.. it was going good until Rick threw out his back," Rosette sighed. "Now our baby making plans are on hold until he's out of his back brace."

Melanie gasped, "What the hell kind of sex are you two having?!" she exclaimed. "Jesus! Chris and I get crazy but not _that _crazy!"

"It wasn't during sex!" Rosette sighed. "We're remodeling our living room and my idiot of a husband thought it would be a spectacular idea to move all the furniture himself! Tore a muscle or two and did something to his spine…god if I know."

"Well, that would put a damper on things," Melanie winced. "But who knows! Maybe the first half of your vacation was a success!"

Rosette snorted, "One could hope," she sighed. "Well, I better get my shit together so I can make it on time to my lecture."

Melanie looked at her watch and sighed, "I need to get going too," she shook her head. "Chris is going back to work tonight and I need to relieve him of baby duty so he can take a short nap."

"Good luck with that," Rosette said, as she started towards the door. "I'll call you later!"

"Looking forward to it!" Melanie said, as the door closed behind her.

Shoving the pile of loose post-its into her folder, Melanie shoved it into her work bag along with her computer and stood up. Taking the five minutes to close the windows and collect her belongings, Melanie locked up the office and made her way towards the elevator.

_On my way home now. Should be home in about 5-10 minutes, _she typed into the text box, before sending it to Chris. By the time she made her way into the lobby, she had one text in her inbox from him.

_Hurry. Charlotte's being bad. _

Snorting, Melanie shoved the phone into her bag and quickly stepped out into the warm April morning and hailed a cab.


	13. Chapter 13

May rolled around quickly as did the final two weeks before projects and finals were due to be submitted and administered. Counting down the days until the final lecture, Melanie started planning for the many visits that her guestroom would have in the upcoming weeks. Pavel was due back after two years in Madagascar for research, staying at the apartment for three days before jetting back to Seattle for a summer internship. Her father, David, would arrive a week after that for a weeklong visit before joining his friends for a vacation in Italy. Leonard, Jim and Joanna were still in the middle of planning their vacation, as Joanna finished up with school for the summer.

"Our house.." Melanie sighed, as she hung up with Jim. "Is going to be chaotic until god knows when."

Chris snorted, "We could always go on vacation ourselves," he shrugged. "We could take Charlie to Disney!"

"She needs to be a little taller to go on the rollercoasters," Melanie said, as Charlotte stood up in her playpen. "Maybe when she's a little older?"

"Mama!" Charlotte screeched from the playpen. "Mama!"

Setting down the laundry basket, Melanie made her way into the living room to find Charlotte's diaper on the floor near the couch. Taking a step closer to the playpen, she found her daughter stark naked as the day she was born.

"What in the world?!" Melanie exclaimed, as Charlotte babbled in her secret code. "Why are you naked?"

"What happened?" Chris called out from the kitchen.

Melanie reached in and pulled Charlotte out of the playpen, carrying her back into the kitchen to show Chris what she'd done. Looking up from the pile of garbage from the junk drawer, Chris couldn't help but snicker.

"Again?" he asked, as Charlotte cooed.

"What do you mean again?" Melanie asked, as she shifted Charlotte from one hip to the other. "She's done this before?"

Chris nodded, "She did it last week after you left for work," he shrugged. "Got up to check on her and she was standing in the crib with nothing on; diaper was hanging over the railing."

"Mama! "Nanas!" Charlotte screeched.

"Clothes and then you'll have your bananas," Melanie corrected her. "No more streaking! Little girls don't streak!"

Chris nodded, "Only big girls," he said. "When you're Mommy's age you can do that stuff."

Melanie glared at him, "What?" he asked. "It's the truth!"

"Come on, baby," Melanie cooed, kissing the side of her head as she started for the hallway. "Let's get dressed."

…

"Final projects are due this Thursday!" Melanie announced, as her students settled down for the hour-long lecture. "If any of you are writing papers that need to be submitted for upper division credit, please write UD on the top right corner and hand them to me!"

The clock was ticking til the following week, being finals week and bringing students both joy and stress, as they finished up final projects and crammed a semesters worth of information into their heads. Looking at her students, the ones that were close to the front of the room that is, Melanie could see the evident stress written on their faces.

"Now instead of having a regular lecture with me standing here talking for the full hour," she leaned against the table. "I figured today we could do some group work and I can let you guys out of here early."

A chorus of "YES!" rang out, as the students turned to chatter with one another. "So I want this side of the room to read the first several documents on the United States Senate inquiry for the sinking of the Titanic," she pointed to the left side of the room. "And I want you guys to look at the documents from the British Wreck Commissioner's inquiry to the sinking. Then I want you guys to, in groups of four to six, come up with questions that _you _would've asked if you were at the inquiry's."

She then looked down at her watch, "I'll give you guys twenty minutes and then we'll have a discussion!"

As the students chatted amongst themselves, Melanie took a seat at the table, while her TA went through her paperwork for her Graduate class. Her phone began to buzz in her pocket, startling her, as she pulled it out. Opening the text message from Chris, Melanie was surprised to see that he'd sent her a video. It had been three weeks since Chris finally gave in and bought an IPhone, after his ancient flip phone finally combusted. It took him a week to text out a full sentence and another six days to send photos. So when his message included a video, Melanie was both surprised and terrified of what she would see.

"Charlie! What are you doing?" Chris's voice rang out, as the video started. "Come here, Charlie!"

She could hear him snickering, along with Charlotte's giggles, as she crawled out from behind the couch, moving to stand on wobbly legs. Stark naked. Chris began to laugh as Charlotte screeched with joy, clapping her hands and bouncing on the heels of her feet.

"Mommy's going to be so mad when she sees this," Chris said, as Charlotte wobbled towards him. "Say hi to Mommy."

"Mama Mama!" Charlotte squealed, as she tried to grab the phone from him. "Beebeebeebee!"

Chris snickered, "Oh god," he cried, as laughter consumed him. "Our kid is a nudist! She takes after her Mommy."

Melanie groaned and chuckled at the same time, as the video ended, quickly typing out a reply to him.

_I'm going to kick your ass for encouraging her to do this. Watch your back, Chris. I mean it._

Ten seconds later she got back a kissy face along with a simple: _Looking forward to it_, before setting the phone down on her bag. With a deep sigh, Melanie sat back in the chair and watched as her students worked and goofed off, all while counting down the minutes to when she would be home again.

…..

Shifting on the chair, Melanie watched as her brother and Jim argued with one another over the ending to the _gripping _tale of who dropped the gallon of milk at the supermarket.

"You know," she finally interrupted them. "This story is SO groundbreaking, I think Nancy Grace is creaming herself right now."

Leonard rolled his eyes, "Don't be tacky," he snapped, as Jim nudged him.

"Can we please talk about this vacation you two are going on?" Melanie whined. "Jo let it slip last night that you're all jetting off somewhere as soon as she gets out of school!"

Jim smiled, "We haven't told her much about it, other than the fact that we're leaving as soon as class ends."

"Where are you going?"

Jim and Leonard glanced at one another, smiling. "We're takin' her to Disney World," Leonard finally said, turning to look at his sister.

"That girl is going to have a heart attack," Melanie shook her head. "You're actually going to a bunch of amusement parks, Lenny? You do realize that you have to smile and be nice to people, right?"

Leonard scowled as Jim howled, rolling in his seat as he laughed. "You're lucky we're havin' this conversation through the computer, " Leonard said.

Jim sighed and nudged his boyfriend out of the way, "Where's the baby and Chef Hot Pants?" he asked. "It's awfully quiet on your end."

"Chris went into work for inventory and Charlotte's in the living room watching a movie," she ran her fingers through her hair. "We got her this really cute play mat thing that's in the shape of an owl. It's SO soft when you step on it!"

"Oh god," Leonard rolled his eyes, as she fidgeted in her seat.

She ignored him and continued, "We figured it was easier for her to see the television, instead of watching it through the netting or standing up in the play pen."

"You left her in there alone?" Leonard frowned. "How can you be sure that those two beasts aren't mauling her alive?"

Melanie rolled her eyes, "Claude and Callie are sleeping in the bedroom," she shrugged. "Chris took Claude for his checkup and Callie was skittish all morning."

"Mama!"

Melanie looked up over the top of her laptop, just as Charlotte appeared in the entryway of the kitchen. "Charlie! Where are your clothes?!" she cried, as Charlotte babbled at her.

Jim began to laugh, "Oh god!" he cried, nearly falling off his chair. "Are you kidding me?!"

She groaned, "She's been doing this for the last few weeks," she cried. "I can't even get her to keep a pair of socks on!"

"Streaking is pretty normal with toddlers, Mel," Leonard shrugged. "The fact that she can remove her clothes _and _her diaper shows her advanced motor skills too."

"But it's getting to be a bit too much," Melanie shook her head. "What the hell am I going to do when we have company? Jesus Christ, Pavel's supposed to be here next weekend and I really don't need Charlotte bursting out and surprising him with bare buns!"

Jim snickered, "Just let her go with it, Mel!" he shook his head. "As long as she doesn't shit or piss on anything, you'll be fine!"

"Mama! Mama!" Charlotte cried as she smacked the side of her legs. "Uhh!"

Pulling her up onto her lap, Melanie grabbed a folded up dishtowel from the laundry basket and draped it over her lap. "It's Uncle Leo and Uncle Jim!"

"'Ones!" Charlotte squeaked, before breaking out into peals of giggles.

"Her hair's gotten so curly," Leonard shook his head. "She's gotten so big too."

Melanie nodded, "I can't believe she's gonna be two in October," she said, shaking her head.

"Gonna have to throw a big party for her," Jim grinned. "Disney princesses and Mickey Mouse!"

Charlotte began to fuss as her mother held onto her, "I better get going," Melanie sighed. "It's lunch time and I have to get this one dressed and ready for a nap."

Leonard nodded, "Call you later?" he asked.

"Of course!" Melanie smiled. "I need to hear more about this vacation you guys are going on and all the places you'll be going to!"

With air kisses and promises to talk later, Melanie disconnected from facetime and shut the laptop down. "Okay missy," she sighed, standing up with Charlotte. "Let's got put a diaper on and get some food in this belly!"

…

On the final day of the Spring semester, Melanie stumbled her way through the hour of collecting papers and putting a movie on for the class to watch. Waking up with a dull ache in her head, along with a queasy feeling in her gut, it was a surprise to herself and to Chris that she actually got up and ready for the day.

"_It's the last day of lecture! As soon as it's over, I'll come home," _she promised, before slipping her shoes on. "_I didn't eat much last night at dinner and I certainly didn't get enough sleep, with Charlotte's streaking party." _

The four hours it took to keep Charlotte from stripping out of her clothes and causing a racket in her bedroom, resulted in either both or one of them to get out of bed and attend to the toddler. Falling asleep around four-thirty, Melanie shed real tears when the alarm clock went off two hours later.

"Are you feeling okay?" Rosette asked, as Melanie packed a few books into a backpack. "You look awfully pale and usually you're a sun-kissed babe at this time of the year."

Melanie groaned, "Bad night with Charlie," she shook her head. "No sleep and I hardly ate anything."

She nodded, "Poor thing," she sighed. "Do you want me to drop the rest of that off at your place this weekend?" she asked, nodding to the pile of books and paperwork on the desk.

"You don't have to do that, Rosette!" Melanie shook her head. "You're all the way in the Bronx and I know you don't want to make the trip back out here unless it's necessary."

"Mel, you look like you're about to drop," the other woman said. "Take your personals and leave this here. I'll call down to the lobby and have Al hold a cab for you."

Melanie sighed, "You're an angel," she sighed, moving to collect her computer and the final papers that needed to be graded. "Really."

Rosette shook her head with a smile, "Just get your butt in bed and make Chris your maid for the day," she said. "Hopefully you're not coming down with that nasty flu that everyone's getting with the drastic weather changes."

"God, I hope not," she shook her head. "Let Al know that I'll be down in five. Just need to call Chris and tell him that I expect a bowl of soup waiting for me when I walk in the door."

"Atta girl," Rosette laughed. "I'll pack all this stuff up and call you later tonight when I get home."

With another grateful nod, Melanie watched as her friend moved out of the office and down the hall to the secretary. Shoving the last of her belongings into her work bag, Melanie quickly called the house to let Chris know that she was on her way home and to put a bowl of soup in the microwave for her.

"You feeling okay?" he asked, as Charlotte screeched in the background.

"Not really," she mumbled, locking up her office. "I just need to eat something and sleep for a few hours."

Chris hummed in agreement, "Since I'm off tonight, I'll deal with this terror and you're going to sleep," he said, as the microwave beeped.

"Sounds wonderful," she yawned. "I'll be home soon."

Hanging up and pocketing the phone, Melanie slipped her office keys into Rosette's hand as she waited to use the copy machine. "Al should be holding a cab for you now," she said, as Melanie started towards the elevator. "Feel better!"

Stepping into the waiting car, Melanie waved goodbye as the door slid shut. With a sigh, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

"Chris can you please get your ass out of bed and watch the baby?" Melanie shouted, as Charlotte fussed about in the living room. "I have to leave for my appointment in five minutes!"

June rolled in quickly before anyone could blink, sending temperatures rising to the near triple digits and tensions rising in the Pike household. Between Charlotte's continuous streaking and the lack of space that came with a growing child, Melanie and Chris bickered non-stop about the pros and cons of uprooting their entire lives before the fall arrived. To make matters worse, their upcoming and very last minute trip to Seattle in two weeks for Gaila's birthday, would also consist of house hunting as well.

"Do you have to shout?" Chris grumbled, as he stepped into the living room. "Couldn't you just bring her in the bedroom?"

"No, because you have to feed her!" Melanie huffed, setting the handful of toys into the plastic bin against the wall. "I'm going to be late!"

"Pa!" Charlotte squealed as she pushed her newly purchased toy stroller, stuffed with Mickey, Minnie and her Belle Barbie doll.

Despite the exhaustion, Chris couldn't help but smile as he watched her move about. "I've got her," he nodded, stepping over the pile of picture books that were knocked off the coffee table. "Tell Laura we miss her."

Giving him a quick kiss, Melanie dashed towards the front door and grabbed her bag and keys. "I'll be back in a half an hour!" she yelled, before closing the door behind her.

…..

It took twenty minutes for the nurse to find a suitable vein in her arm, collecting three vials of blood for testing. Melanie silently cursed the inept nurse, as she led her into an examination room.

"Doctor Kaui will be with you shortly," the nurse said, handing her a paper gown. "I'm sure you know what to do with this?"

Melanie managed a sweet smile; one that her husband, father and brother knew well enough that it was far from sweet. "I've been here enough that I could probably do the examination myself."

The nurse sighed and left the room, giving Melanie the privacy she both wanted and needed to strip from her clothes and tug the paper over her body. Sitting back down on the table, Melanie kicked her feet out in front of her and waited patiently for the doctor to arrive.

"Knock, Knock," a voice called out, along with two quick knocks, before the door opened. "Ahh, if it isn't Melanie Pike."

"Laura, Laura, Laura," Melanie shook her head, smirking. "You didn't dress up for me today."

Laura Kaui sighed, as she closed the door behind her. "I have a scheduled C-section later today," she set Melanie's chart down on the counter. "Don't want to ruin my fabulous Target wear with baby goop."

Melanie giggled, "Dearie me," she shook her head. "Chris and Charlie miss you, or they miss coming in to harass the nurses…"

"How's the lovely Miss Charlotte?" Laura asked, as she set up the equipment for the several exams that would be administered.

"Oh she's lovely," Melanie sighed. "Talking, walking and streaking."

Laura snickered, "I wonder where she learned that from," she said nonchalantly, glancing over at her patient.

The other woman rolled her eyes and sighed, "Chris says the same thing," she shrugged.

"Well, Chris is probably right this one time," Laura said, coming over to her. "Lay back and arms above your head."

"Feeling me up already?" Melanie smirked, as Laura conducted the routine breast exam. "Don't tell my husband."

Laura snorted as she felt for lumps and other abnormalities, pushing down on the flesh. "Easy," Melanie winced.

"Tender?"

She nodded, "A little bit," she said.

Laura nodded and moved back to the counter, scribbling something down on the chart. "Okay, let's take a look and get a pap done."

Melanie groaned, "Oh my favorite part," she muttered, setting her feet into the stirrups.

Grabbing the items needed, Laura brought the light down further and prepped Melanie for her exam. "Oh god," Melanie groaned in discomfort. "Thank god I only do this once a year."

"Just relax," Laura said quietly, taking a quick look at her cervix. "Hmmm, that's odd."

"What's odd?" Melanie asked, lifting her head up.

Laura pushed the stool back and looked up at her patient, "When's the last time you had your period?" she asked.

"Ummm, April?" she frowned. "I think it was April."

"April?"

Melanie shrugged, "It's been as stressful time with work and the baby," she sighed. "And this new birth control you put me on did something to my periods because I get them every other month it seems."

Laura nodded and removed the speculum slowly, setting it down on the tray near the bed. "I want to do a scan," she nodded, removing her gloves. "Just need to be sure if my observation is correct."

"Oh god," Melanie whimpered, as Laura prepared the wand for the transvaginal scan. "Is it cancer?"

"Shhh," Laura shook her head, as she turned the machine on. "Just relax."

Melanie hissed as the wand went in, tensing up and clutching the sides of her gown, as Laura tapped away at the keyboard. Trying to relax, Melanie listened as Laura muttered and adjusted the image on the screen.

"I was right," she finally said, breaking Melanie out of her thoughts.

"Oh god, oh god," Melanie cried, as tears filled her eyes. "I'm dying, aren't I? All those times I let the cell phone or laptop on my lap, has finally given me cancer!"

Laura snickered, "No, you don't have cancer," she shook her head. "You're pregnant."

…

When Melanie returned home, twenty minutes later than expected, her husband and her very naked child quickly met her.

"Mommy's home!" Chris exclaimed, as Charlotte waved at her. "Don't panic, I was getting ready to put her in the bath and I forgot the soap in the bag out here."

She nodded, "I'll help you," she said, managing a small smile.

Dropping her bag and keys, she followed them down the hall, through their bedroom and into the bathroom. Easing her into the lukewarm water, Chris knelt against the tub and grabbed the tiny bucket to wet Charlotte's hair.

"So," he popped open the bottle of shampoo. "How's the machinery down there?"

"Good," Melanie nodded, as Charlotte dunked her bath toys under the soapy water.

Chris nodded, "I guess it was busy at the pharmacy," he said, massaging the suds through Charlotte's hair. "She was getting so fussy when she realized you weren't home."

Melanie looked down at her lap, "I.. uh.. I didn't go to the pharmacy," she said quietly.

He turned quickly to look at her, ignoring the giant splash of water that soaked his arms. "What?" he asked, frowning. "Oh god, did you get the shot instead? Mel, I thought we talked about how dangerous the Depo-Provera shot could be!"

"I didn't get any shots," she quickly sputtered. "Chris.."

Chris turned to her, glancing quickly at Charlotte, before setting his soapy hands on her knees. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Mellie, did something happen with your results?"

She looked at him for a moment, seeing the worry flashing in his eyes and feeling his thumb tracing small circles against her knee. "Chris, I'm pregnant."

…..

Leonard cursed as he shoved the key into the lock, while struggling under the weight of two duffle bags.

"Daddy! Hurry!" Joanna whined, as she and Jim made their way up to the porch with their suitcases. "I have to go to the bathroom!"

"I'm trying, Jo!" Leonard yelled, as the key turned. "Finally!"

Pushing the door opened, Leonard was hit with an equally hot blast of air. Dragging the suitcase in behind him, he dropped the bags near the staircase and turned to help Jim and Joanna.

"Go on," Jim nodded his head towards the hallway. "Make sure you wash your hands"

Joanna raced off down the hallway, slamming the bathroom door behind her. "I'll go open some windows," Jim said, patting Leonard on the shoulder. "Just leave this stuff here for a bit and go get a drink. You look like you've been suffering for days."

Going their separate ways, Leonard grabs a glass out of the cabinet and quickly fills it up with water. Taking large gulps, his parched throat is relieved with the cool liquid.

"Jim! Can I bring my stuff upstairs?" Joanna shouts from somewhere in the house.

Leonard sets the glass down on the counter and moves to the back door, unlocking it and pulling it open to let some air filter through the kitchen. He tackled the windows next, sighing in relief as the hot and stuffy kitchen cools down.

"Bonesy," Jim called from the hallway, his voice coming closer and closer to the kitchen. "Are you decent?"

"Course I'm decent," Leonard snorted, as Jim stepped into the kitchen. "Unlike my sister, I don't plan on scaring my child by walking around stark naked."

Jim snickered, "Which is good because I really don't need to see Jo walking around with no clothes on," he shook his head. "When she was six and required supervision for bath time it made sense. But at thirteen? No thank you."

Leonard rolled his eyes, "Thank the lord!" he cried in mock relief. "My boyfriend isn't a secret child predator."

"That's not funny," Jim said, the sudden change in his demeanor throwing Leonard off. "Don't even _joke _about pedophilia."

"I- I'm sorry," Leonard managed to get out, shaking his head. "I- Jim?"

The blonde slowly looked up at him, his eyes hard as they stared into his. "Just.. don't joke about it."

It hit Leonard like a dozen bricks, "Oh Jim," he shook his head, pulling the man close to him. "I'm sorry, darlin'."

Jim tensed for only a moment, before sagging against Leonard. "I want to tell you about it," he mumbled. "But not today. And especially with Joanna running about the house."

"Okay," Leonard nodded. "You tell me when you're ready and you'll have my undivided attention."

"Kay," Jim mumbled, before lifting his head up from Leonard's shoulder. "Love you, Bones."

Leonard ran his fingers through the short hairs at the base of Jim's neck soothingly and sighed, "Love you too, Kid."


	15. Chapter 15

Melanie sat quietly on the edge of the bed, the hum of the air conditioner the only sound in the room. Over it, the traffic from outside was miniscule, along with the crackling of the baby monitor on the dresser.

"How.." Chris finally spoke, leaning against the dresser across from her. "How far along are you?"

It had only been five minutes since she broke the news, opting to discuss about it after Charlotte was out of the bath and in the crib for her nap. She left Chris alone in the bathroom with their daughter, moving to collect her bag and phone from the front hall of the apartment and staying out of the way as Chris got Charlotte dried and dressed.

"Five weeks," she said softly. "I think it happened after I took that antibiotic I had left over from that cold I caught in January. I started feeling sick after Charlotte got a better and took a pill."

Chris nodded and said nothing, which worried Melanie greatly. "Are… are you mad?" she asked, glancing up at him quickly, before looking down at her hands.

"Mad?" he asked, as if it were a silly question.

She nodded, "You don't… you don't seem happy about this."

In two short steps, Chris was kneeling in front of her and taking her hands into his. "I could never be mad about something like this," he said. "Mel, five minutes ago you just told me that we're having another baby. How could I be mad about something like this?"

"Because all we do is fight about the space in this apartment and how difficult it is to get Charlotte to keep her goddamn clothes on."

Chris snorted, "Sweetheart," he reached up to cup her face with his hands. "If you really thing that our arguments about a damn house equates to my unhappiness about another baby… then you need to get your head checked out."

She sighed deeply, "I'm happy if you're happy, Mel," he finally said. "You caught me off guard with your news because you were so adamant about waiting until Charlie was a little older to have another baby."

"I was," Melanie mumbled. "But my birth control had other plans."

Chris snorted, "Guess we'll have to buy condoms in stock after this," he said.

Melanie nodded, "Are you sure we can do this? Charlotte's a handful as it is and adding a newborn to the mix is suicide."

"Mel, we can handle anything," he said. "I tell you it all the time that we are fully capable of anything and everything that falls into our laps. By the time you have the baby, Charlotte will be two and a bit more manageable than she is right now… hopefully anyway."

"Okay," she nodded. "Guess we should start taking house hunting seriously, huh?"

Chris moved from the floor to the bed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "We could always wait until the baby's born," he shrugged. "Unless you really want to spend our entire week in Seattle looking at houses."

"Might as well," Melanie sighed. "But I don't want to tell anyone yet… Let's wait until we get pass the twelve mark stage this time."

"Whatever you want to do," he kissed the side of her head. "How about I make you some lunch and we put a movie on, hm? Take advantage of a little down time before Charlie wakes up."

Melanie nodded, "I might end up falling asleep on you," she warned, as he stood up. "I'm pretty tired."

"Which is why we'll put a movie on in here," he grinned. "You're going to get as much rest as you can for this pregnancy, Mel. "

She stood up and snorted, "I'll believe it when I see it," she shook her head. "Come on, you said something about lunch and I'm starving."

…..

The week before their scheduled trip back to Seattle, brought the first wave of morning sickness. After three days, Melanie was both shocked and relived to find that it wasn't as awful as the first time; she could no longer tolerate milk or eggs, along with pork. That week also brought their first pre-natal exam out of many, much to Chris's excitement. Laura was pleased to see both him and Charlie, as she stepped into the exam room and spent a good ten minutes playing with the little girl before performing the exam.

"Let's just hope this one stays in the full forty weeks," Laura smirked, as she printed out the photos.

At home, after stopping to pick up prenatal vitamins and food for dinner, they sat Charlotte down on her play mat and showed her the pictures of her sibling.

"You're gonna be a big sister, Charlie," Chris said, as Charlotte clutched her toy block in one hand. "Mommy has a baby in her tummy."

"Pa! NO!" she shrieked, frowning at him.

Melanie snorted, "Oh no," she shook her head. "Jealousy already!"

Chris sighed, "Don't tell me no, little miss," he tickled her, getting a peal of giggles in return. "Now you'll have someone to play with and boss around!"

Holding out the blue block, Charlotte looked up at him almost expectantly. "You want Daddy to help you build a castle?" he asked, as he took the toy from her.

"You two build your castle," Melanie said, as she rolled onto her knees. "I'm going to start getting our stuff together for our trip."

"I'll take the suitcase down later," he said, as she leaned in for a quick kiss. "Just fold all the clothes up and put them on the chair."

Melanie pushed herself up to her feet, "I am perfectly capable of taking the suitcase down myself," she snorted, as Chris dragged the basket of multi-colored blocks over to him and Charlotte.

"Mel…" he warned, looking up at her.

"Okay! I wont touch the suitcase!" she laughed, holding her hands up. "Make sure you put those blocks back in the basket when you're done. Last time I stepped on one and it hurt like a you know what."

Chris snorted, "Yes Ma'am," he nodded, holding out a green block. "Go on, Charlie! Start with the tower!"

Shaking her head, Melanie started down the hallway to the bedroom, looking down at the sonogram photo in her hand as she went. Despite the nagging feeling of worry and uncertainty of raising two small children in a tiny apartment, she knew that everything would eventually work out in their favor.

….

"Charlie, get out of the suitcase," Melanie sighed, as she folded up another shirt. "Mommy's trying to put the clothes in there."

Charlotte babbled as she pulled at the straps inside the case, breaking out into shrieks and squeals. "Deedeedeedee!" she chanted, tugging at the once neatly folded clothes in the case.

Melanie sighed, "Chris!" she shouted, as Charlotte reached for the pile of shorts, which were stacked next to her. "Dammit! Charlie, no!"

A few seconds later, Chris came in from Charlotte's room, holding one of her stuffed animals in hand. "What are you doing, Charlie?" he asked, moving her out of the bag.

"Uhh! NO!" she began to whine, as Chris laid across the bed, settling her next to him.

"Look!" he held the pink lamb up for her to see. "It's your baby!"

Melanie quickly fixed the clothes that Charlotte had pulled apart in the suitcase, before setting the next folded pile in, "Did you pack her bag?" she asked, moving back to her dresser.

Chris nodded, "I wasn't sure which shoes you wanted, so I left them out for you to decide," he yawned. "Did Len say if he got the pool floaties for her or not?"

"Jim got them yesterday when he went to Wal-Mart," Melanie said, as she came over to the bed with a pile of underwear and a few bras. "Len said he picked the girliest float he's ever seen."

"Mama!" Charlotte whined, as she shook the lamb in her hand.

"Mama's packing for our trip to see everyone!" she said, as Chris held the toddler close to his side. "We're going to see Uncle Scotty and Aunt Gaila for her birthday!"

The toddler began to whimper, growing fussy at being confined to one part of the bed. "And we're going to stay with Uncle Len and Uncle Jim!" he continued. "Joanna can't wait to see you too!"

"'Ones!"

He snickered, "Yes baby girl," he fixed the back of her shirt. "Uncle Bones."

"Don't encourage her to call him that, Chris," Melanie warned.

"She can call him whatever she wants," he retorted, as he pulled Charlotte onto his chest. "Right? You can call Uncle Len by his nickname!"

Charlotte wacked his chin, causing him to yelp in both pain and shock. Melanie snorted as she zipped the suitcase halfway, before pulling it off the bed. "Don't get too comfortable, Chris," she warned. "You need to pack up your "man bag" with your toiletries, because I don't want a repeat of how you couldn't find a decent razor when we were in Edinburgh."

He snorted, "I will pack my "man bag" before we go to bed," he promised.

"Sure you will," she shook her head. "I'm going to finish packing up Charlie's bag and print out the boarding passes."

…..

The family moved further and further away from the airplane, following the other passengers as they stepped into the air-conditioned terminal of _Jet Blue Airways. _

"I have to pee," Melanie groaned, as she shifted the strap of her carry on. "And I need to change her diaper."

Chris nodded as he held Charlotte against his hip, "I'll take that bag and you take this one," he said, pulling the strap of the diaper bag off his shoulder.

Switching bags quickly, Melanie took the grumpy toddler from him and started towards the restrooms. Fifteen minutes and one fresh diaper later, Melanie met Chris outside of the restrooms before taking the escalator down to the main level.

"Jim and Len should be here," she said, as Charlotte wiggled in her arms. "I hope they saw my text I sent them before the plane took off."

Chris wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling them close to his side. "They'll be here somewhere," he said, looking around at the crowd of people moving back and forth.

"MEL!"

Turning her head, Melanie spotted her brother near the wall as Jim bounced on his heels. "There they are!" she smiled, nodding her head in their direction.

Making their way through the crowd, Melanie smiled as Leonard walked up to her, holding his arms out. "Hi!" she exclaimed, accepting the hug he gave her. "My goodness! Look at you!"

"Look at me? Look at you!" he shook his head. "You're blonder and skinny!"

She blushed, "You look like you stepped out of a GQ advertisement," she said, taking in the slim cut jeans and stylish button-down. "Jim is doing a great job!"

" "Ones!" Charlotte squealed, holding her hands out for him.

"Miss Charlotte!" Leonard cried, taking her from Melanie. "You've gotten SO big since I last saw you! My goodness!"

Melanie pulled Jim into a hug, squealing as he kissed her cheek. "Jesus, you look hot," Jim snickered. "It's a good thing we made up the downstairs guestroom for you and Chris."

Chris rolled his eyes, "I have a feeling that's a good thing for us," he said, as Jim hugged him. "God only knows what you two are like in your own home."

"Coming from the man who makes his wife squeak like a mouse, when her brother, his boyfriend and young daughter are down the hall in the guestroom," Jim shook his head, as he took Charlotte from Leonard. "That makes me laugh."

"'OOH!" Charlotte screeched, before giggling.

Jim smiled, "Yes! Uncle Jim!" he nodded, kissing her on the cheek.

Leonard smiled as his boyfriend and goddaughter babbled with one another, before turning to his sister and brother-in-law. "Let's get your bags and bring ya home! Jo's been driving Scotty and Gaila crazy all morning long."

"Baggage is that way," Leonard nodded towards the growing crowd. "You take Charlie and we'll get your things."

Jim reluctantly handed Charlotte back to Melanie, while Chris set the carry on bag next to Melanie's feet. "Be right back," he kissed her. "Don't run off."

Melanie rolled her eyes, "I would _never," _she smirked. "Don't forget her stroller either."

With another quick kiss, Chris turned and followed Jim and Leonard towards the baggage claim, just as the bags started to come out one by one. With a deep sigh, Melanie looked down at her daughter and smiled.

"I'm glad we're here, Charlie girl," she said softly. "Maybe we'll find a big ol' house here before we go back."


	16. Chapter 16

"AUNT MELLIE! CHARLIE'S MAKING A MESS!" Joanna screeched from somewhere in the house.

Melanie groaned as she lounged across the bed in the guestroom, exhausted from the full days events; traveling and seeing their friends had finally caught up to her.

"I'll go get her," Chris sighed, sitting up. "You just relax, Mel. It's been a long day."

Nodding, Melanie watched as he left the bedroom, before rolling over onto her side and pulling the pillows further down under her head. The cool breeze filtered through the open windows, making the curtains dance. Between the rustling of the trees and the wind chimes that hung off the back porch, Melanie was lulled into a light slumber as she waited for Chris to return.

"You need to be good, Charlie," Chris said, as he stepped into the bedroom, holding the toddler in his arms. "Mommy's tired and we can't keep rushing out to stop you from breaking everything."

Opening her eyes, Melanie watched as Chris settled down on the bed with Charlotte, sitting her down between them both.

"What did she do now?" she asked, yawning.

"Tried knocking the vase off the coffee table," he sighed. "Then she pulled some of the books off the bottom shelf of the bookcase."

Charlotte began to crawl around, sucking furiously on her pacifier, as she tried to climb on Melanie's legs.

She groaned, "We should probably buy her a leash," she said, as Chris gently pulled the girl back to the middle of the bed. "She obviously cannot be by herself."

"She's not a dog," Chris snorted, as Charlotte laid on her back, kicking her feet up in the air. "We just need to keep an eye on her and move all the breakable stuff from her reach."

"Hmmm," Melanie nodded, her eyes closed.

Chris snickered, "Come on, little one," he said, getting up. "Mommy's tired and it's time for you to go to sleep."

When he returned to the bedroom ten minutes later, Melanie was dead to the world and sprawled out on her side of the bed. Tucking her in, Chris turned the lamp off and slipped under the covers next to her.

….

"Okay! Okay!" Melanie yelped, as Leonard lightly pushed her back inside. "I'll just play the stereotypical role as housewife and help make a goddamn salad."

Leonard snorted, "Chris would have my hide if you burned yourself on the grill," he shook his head. "Plus, your daughter needs her bananas."

She grumbled, moving back into the kitchen to join the others. Nyota stood at the sink, washing the bowls as Gaila sat at the counter picking at a tray of horderves.

"Uh oh," Christine smiled, as she tickled Charlotte lightly. "Your Mommy's here!"

Melanie smiled, "Do you have bananas?" she asked, looking at Gaila.

"Sir Hot Pants made sure we had enough bananas to keep the princess happy," she grinned, nodding to the fruit bowl on the table.

"Sir Hot Pants?" Melanie asked, as she pulled a banana off the one bunch. "How is my husband getting all these nicknames?"

Nyota snorted, "Um, because he's hot?" she asked. "Did you see the jeans he's wearing today? Do you know how hard it was to get Spock to wear only his boxers to bed?"

Melanie rolled her eyes, "I did see the jeans that my husband is wearing," she said, moving to the counter. "They're jeans."

Christine, Gaila and Nyota looked at one another, "Um," Christine snorted. "How about you take another look at him?"

Nodding to the sliding door, Melanie quickly turned her head and watched as Chris, Leonard and Scotty stood by the grill. She took note of what he was wearing; a white tee and dark grey jeans. It was common attire that he always wore when out of the house, instead if the sweatpants or shorts that he wore while lounging around all day. But there was something different about the way the clothes fit, that caught Melanie's attention.

"Oh my god," she gasped.

Gaila giggled behind her at the counter, as Charlotte babbled for attention. "Told ya!"

"What the hell?" Melanie shook her head, blinking several times. "Those look distinctively like the jeans my brother and Jim wear!"

Nyota laughed, "Except Jim's are extremely tight and so close to splitting in half when he bends over!"

Melanie looked back at them, "Oh my god, is my husband going through a mid-life crisis?" she asked, worried. "Do you think he looks at the others and gets worried that he's too old to hang around them?"

"Oh my god," Christine snorted, shaking her head. "I personally think he bought slim fit jeans just to get your panties wet!"

Gaila choked on a spinach puff, "Christine!" Melanie gasped, as the blonde laughed. "Holy shit!"

"Is everything alright in there?" Scotty asked.

The girls turned around to find him, along with Chris, standing in the doorway.

"Oh everything's fine!" Gaila waved her hand at him. "Mel's just admiring the view!"

Melanie blushed and quickly went to prepare Charlotte's snack, feeling her husband's stare bearing against her.

"What are yeh talkin' about?" Scotty asked, scoffing. "What view?"

The girls giggled which brought a squeal out of Charlotte, as she sat in the high chair. "Mama!"

"Just a second!" Melanie said, as she sliced the banana; dropping the pieces into a plastic bowl.

Setting the final slices of bananas into the bowl, Melanie turned around and stopped short. Chris stood by the highchair, tweaking Charlotte's nose as she giggled and grabbed at his hand. From a closer view, Melanie took in the tightness of his jeans and felt her face flush.

"Mel?"

She jumped, breaking out of her daze to find Chris staring at her with a frown. "You all right?" he asked, as she made her way over to them. "You look a little flush."

"I'm fine," she smiled, setting the bowl down on the high chair tray. "Just a little warm in here."

Gaila and Nyota snickered as they prepped a salad, earning a quick glare from Melanie, before she turned her attention back to Charlotte. Picking up a slice, Melanie fed the toddler, as Chris stood close by her side. Wrapping his arm around her waist, Chris leaned in a kissed the side of her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I'm assuming you're admiring my ass in these jeans?" he asked, sending shivers down her spine. "It's okay if you were. That was the point of getting them."

Melanie cleared her throat, "There's no need to sound so smug, Christopher."

"How can I not be, when you're blushing like a virgin bride on her wedding night, Melanie?" he whispered, nipping at her ear.

"If you two are done whisperin' all the dirty thing's ya'll are plannin' to do later," Leonard sighed. "I could use some help with the grill!"

The couple looked over at the back door, watching as Leonard scowled at them both for their behavior. "I'll be there in a sec," Chris nodded, before turning his attention back to Melanie. "You have this under control?"

Charlotte was drooling on her fingers at that point, waiting impatiently for another banana slice.

"Go before he drags you out by your ears," she giggled, as he kissed her cheek.

Tickling Charlotte lightly, Chris started for the backdoor, glancing back to find Melanie staring at him with lust. She blushed deeply when he winked at her, before stepping out into the summer sun.

"Someone's getting laid tonight!" Gaila giggled, as she walked over to the fridge.

…

An hour later, the food done and on the table, the entire group of family and friends sat around the large table to celebrate Gaila's birthday. Nestled between both her parents, Charlotte managed to make a mess of herself within seconds of sitting down.

"So!" Scotty tapped his can of soda with a plastic fork. "Gaila and Ah have some news!"

Silence fell around the table, minus the babbling from Charlotte, as everyone turned to look at the couple. Gaila blushed as Scotty smiled at her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"What's the news?" Jim asked, bouncing in his seat. "Did Gaila finally force you to get your Masters?"

Leonard nudged him to pipe down, "No," Scotty snorted. "Ah would nevah!"

Gaila shook her head, smiling. "Scotty and I are thrilled to announce that we're…." she trailed off, looking at all her guests with a big smile. "HAVING A BABY!"

A chorus of shouts and congratulations that went around, as the couple smiled. Melanie managed to keep the water from shooting out of her nose, as Chris glanced at her with worry.

"To Gaila and Scotty!" Hikaru beamed, holding up his beer. "May they have the cutest ginger baby ever!"

As the conversation shifted to talk about the new baby, Melanie quietly picked at her food. Leonard took notice of her strange behavior, watching her from across the table with a frown.

"Why aren't you eating?" he asked, as Jim broke away from his conversation with Joanna.

"I am," Melanie nodded, spearing a pepper with her fork. "Just don't want to save room for cake."

"Did you see the girly liquor in the kitchen?" Jim asked. "I'm surprised you haven't cracked a bottle open yet."

Chris was busy wiping the remains of Charlotte's lunch from her face, when he glanced up at her.

"I'm not drinking these days," Melanie shrugged. "I'm on a diet and I rather save the sugar intake for the cake."

By now, Nyota and Spock were listening in on the conversation with curious looks on their face. "I didn't know you were on a diet," Nyota said. "I thought you lost the last few pounds that you gained with Charlotte?"

Melanie nodded, "I did," she laughed nervously. "But I'm doing a cleansing diet… it's new."

Leonard sat back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "Is that why you didn't touch the bacon this morning? Or any of that egg salad that Janice whipped up?"

"Len," Chris warned, shaking his head.

"I'm just curious about this "diet" that my sister is on," Leonard held his hand up, before turning his gaze back to his sister. "What's it called?"

Melanie shrugged, "I don't know what it's called," she waved her hand at him. "It's some new diet that I read about in a magazine and I figured I'd try it! Jesus Lenny, leave me alone!" she whined.

Jim placed his hand on Leonard's arm, "Just stop," he whispered. "Deal with this later when we're not in the company of our friends."

"Fine," he shook his head. "I just don't think you need to lose anymore weight, Mel. You look perfect the way you are and I don't want you lookin' like a skeleton."

"Thank you, Len," she nodded.

"Well, if that's all settled," Jim nodded, looking between his boyfriend and his sister. "But you should try the egg salad, Mel. Whatever Janice put into it makes it SO much better!"

Melanie shrugged, "Maybe," she said, eyeing the bowl critically. The sight, along with the smell, made her stomach roll.

And of course, Leonard picked up on it, when she turned a shade or two paler than normal. "Okay," he dropped his fork onto his plate. "What's going on?"

Silence fell around the table, as everyone turned to look at them. "Len, stop it," Melanie hissed.

"No," he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you're actin' strange now and you're freakin' me out!"

"What's going on?" Hikaru asked. "Are we fighting?"

Gaila pouted, "Don't fight guys!" she begged. "It's a happy day!"

"We're not fighting," Melanie insisted. "Len's just being his bossy old self, is all."

"Then why did you turn the lightest shade of green when you looked at that bowl," he asked, pointing to the offending item on the table.

Chris shook his head, "Enough!" he snapped. "Just leave her alone!"

Embarrassed, Melanie pulled the napkin out of her lap and placed it on the table, ready to bolt.

"Mel."

She looked up to see Gaila looking at her, "What's wrong?" she mouthed, looking worried.

"Nothing," she mouthed back, shaking her head, before turning to Chris. "I'm going out front for a moment."

"Oh my god!" Jim cried out, startling them all. "Are you like.. dying?"

Melanie frowned, "What?" she asked, as Jim's eyes filled with tears.

"That's why you're not eating!" he shook his head. "You've got some terminal illness and you're dying!"

Chris groaned, "Oh for fuck's sake," he muttered, shaking his head.

"I'm not dying!" Melanie finally snapped. "Jesus Christ! I'm pregnant!"


	17. ANOTE

AN:

I have posted the remainder of this story and a few oneshots, followed by a sequal over on another website.

/series/41828

Please head on over if you want to see what happens to these characters and the storylines I've created for them!


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